The Boston Globe has done a fabulous job documenting the connection between Obama and the slumlords. But, what about the people these government subsidized programs were supposed to help? What is it like to live in these buildings, which were built in Obama's state senate district by Obama's developer cronies? Here are some of the things the investigative reporters from the Boston Globe found.
"Nonetheless, the buildings deteriorated badly. The problems came to public attention in a dramatic way in 2004, after a sport utility vehicle driven by a suburban woman trying to buy drugs struck one of the buildings, causing it to collapse. City inspectors arrived in the ensuing glare, finding a long list of code violations, leading city officials to urge the federal government to seize the complex."
"In the midst of the uproar, a small group of Lawndale residents gathered to rally against the Democratic candidate for the US Senate, Barack Obama.
Obama's Republican opponent, Alan Keyes, trailed badly in the polls and was not seen as a serious challenger. But the organizers had a simple message: Cecil Butler had donated $3,000 to Obama's campaign. Habitat had close ties to Obama. And Obama had remained silent about Lawndale's plight.
Paul Johnson, who helped to organize the protest, said Obama must have known about the problems.
"How didn't he know?" said Johnson. "Of course he knew. He just didn't care."
As a result, some people in Chicago's poorest neighborhoods are torn between a natural inclination to support Obama and a concern about his relationships with the developers they hold responsible for Chicago's affordable housing failures. Some housing advocates worry that Obama has not learned from those failures."
"About 99 of the units are vacant, many rendered uninhabitable by unfixed problems, such as collapsed roofs and fire damage. Mice scamper through the halls. Battered mailboxes hang open. Sewage backs up into kitchen sinks. In 2006, federal inspectors graded the condition of the complex an 11 on a 100-point scale - a score so bad the buildings now face demolition."
"The same exact people who ran these places into the ground," the private companies paid to build and manage the city's affordable housing, "now are profiting by redeveloping them."
Obama claims not to be aware of the deterioration of these mismanaged projects. He just didn't know, even though they were in his disrict. He just didn't know.
Socialism does not work, folks. It has never worked anywhere on earth where it has been tried. However, it does work for the politicians and bureaucrats who advocate for it and administer it.
Via Neo-neocon
1 comment:
Seems there's too much Obama doesn't know about. I don't think he's ready for prime time do you?
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