Conservatives’ Fearmongering Over ACORN ‘Slush Fund’ Prevents Funding For Low-Income Housing Program
Conservatives’ Fearmongering Over ACORN ‘Slush Fund’ Prevents Funding For Low-Income Housing Program
Tonight, the Senate plans to vote on a reconstituted version of the $700 billion bailout bill that failed to pass the House earlier this week. Included in the bill are new provisions, including “a one-year increase in Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. caps for bank and credit union accounts, extensions of numerous business tax breaks that have expired and a fix to the alternative minimum tax for individual taxpayers.”
No longer in the bill is a provision stating that 20% of the government’s profits from the sale of a troubled asset be deposited, with 65% of the deposit directed to the Housing Trust Fund. The Housing Trust Fund is a federal housing program that provides “funds to state governments for the purpose of building and rehabilitating homes for the very lowest income people in the United States.”
The provision was removed because, for the last week, conservatives have been harping against it. They called it a “slush fund” for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN is “the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people,” engaged in initiatives to prevent predatory lending, develop affordable housing, and build funding for public schools. Watch a compilation:
Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) called the provision a “left-wing giveaway Democrats are pushing to force taxpayers to bankroll a slush fund for a discredited ally of the Democratic Party.” Michelle Malkin wrote that it’s “$100 million more in funding for the left-wing housing entitlement thugs and heavily tax-subsidized fraudsters at ACORN.”
But conservatives are completely mischaracterizing this part of the bill. Directing funds to the Housing Trust Fund does not mean that money is being given to ACORN. In fact, state and local governments – not the federal government – choose which organizations receive money from the fund.
While it is conceivable that ACORN would receive money, it “was not specifically directed any funds in the previous proposal.” For its part, ACORN, in order to maintain independence, “does not accept government funding and is not tax exempt.”
Conservatives have already tried to dodge responsibility for the financial crisis by blaming it on the poor. Now, they have refused funding for a program specifically set up to aid the poor just two months ago:
The Housing Trust Fund is the first new federal housing production program since 1974 that is specifically for extremely low income renter households. The need for this new program is acute. Today in the United States, there are 9 million extremely low income renter households and only 6.2 million homes with rents these families can afford.
Consequently, 71% of extremely low income renters spend more than half of their income for housing, leaving them without enough money for other essentials and at high risk of losing their homes and joining the ranks of the homeless. This is a housing crisis of major and longstanding proportions that the federal government must address.
It seems that the only bailout conservatives can get behind is one that leaves homeowners and the poor out, while giving tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy.
One Response to “Conservatives’ Fearmongering Over ACORN ‘Slush Fund’ Prevents Funding For Low-Income Housing Program”
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WWwwwoooooohhhhh!!!! I’m here to say, I LIVE AMONG & WITH Extremely Low-Incomes, and that HR-1851 & HR-3221 are Silver Platter, Extremely Low-Income Gravy Train Bills, that are Law now, and DO NOT HELP A SINGLE Working Taxpaying Middle-Class person, in the US. NO WAY! YOU MUST, MUST BE LOW-INCOME TO GET HELP from: HR-1851 & HR-3221, no if and or butts, no way, no Middle-Class taxpayer help, as HR-3221, Pelosi’s ANSWER to the PROBLEM, that just began to rear it’s Monsterous head on October 1st, 2008.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:51 pmThe Grand Theft Democrat Party has turned into a Middle-Class taxpayers worst nightmare. It’s a non-stop Parade of Bills FOR Extremely-to-Low-Income’s, and MOST, Extremely & Low-Incomes, Pay ZERO TAXES! They Benefit Allright, but they do not share in the Repayment, payment of the Taxes, that pay for the FUNDING of these bills.
I live in a small rural community of 256 population. It has less than 30% African American Minimum, classifying it as a, ‘Target Area’ by HUD & NAACP.
Now, many of the homes up here are now becoming HUD’s. Because Section 8 has become the Fat Cat of Extremely Low Income Housing Funding, for many of the 9 Million your article is crying about NOT getting any Benefits from this Bailout Bill.
Ahm, they are getting $5.2Million MORE for the ‘Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs’, & I just saw my neighbor, that lives COMPLETELY on SSI/SSP here in Califatofornia, he just pays $60 bucks to get his entire Propane Tank Filled FULL. So, DO NOT tell me this Bill had NOTHING for Extremely low-incomes! And the FOOD BANKS, they are gettin’ a Bootey load of Federal Funding now too.
Guess what? My historic home was torched to the ground by Arson, in a Forest Fire. I had ONLY Hazard Insurance on it because after my Sub-Prime ARM adjusted, it went from 10% to 12 and a half percent, and I have struggled to pay that now for 11 years. I went to the FOOD BANK, at the local Mission to get a 1-Time Emergency Food Bank Assistance, a ONE TIME I said, because I had to pay everything out-of-pocket during those weeks I was not allowed in to live on my ‘DIRT’ until I could pay a Civil Engineer to combine 2 Lots into 1 to rebuild on my DIRT.
I filled out ALL the Forms. And GUESS WHAT? I was turned DOWN, as I GROSS “Just a little bit too much to qualify for Food Assistance”. NADA/ZILCH/NO HELP. I grabbed a stale loaf of bread sitting on a cart right near the In-Take fatty woman, and ran like hell-fire out of the Mission, with some Bouncer type guys chasing me! But I got that loaf of bread for myself, a family of 5 Middle-Class Taxpayers AND WE WORK, and have 3 kids. But we did not Qualify.
Now, I have watched all my neighbors for 11 years now. I did the 2000 US Census here, so I know a thing r’ two about these folk. And 80% Live in Paid For Inherited Homes. And 90% are on SSI/SSP as their sole income. They get MEGA-Fringe Benefits outside just the CASH in their check-in-the-box each month. They get 2 Checks a Month, One Federal and One State of California. MOST get extra State Funds in a check-in-the-box for IHSS from taking care of a spouse or long time LIVE IN boyfriend or girlfriend’s care.
I never experienced so much FRAUD in all my life. This little community is the PERFECT example of Democrats, and what is WRONG with them making this Country into a WELFARE STATE.
So, I got a Manufactured Home to replace this home. HR-3221 is a PAY FOR A LOAN MODIFICATION PROFESSIONAL YOURSELF problem bill for me. BUT!!! BUT, if you are low-income, you will get the Loan Modification Assistance, thru ‘Low-Income Legal Aid’, Gratis/Free!
I don’t get that though. And, HR-1851 has turned numerous Cities, Towns, Hamlets, Rural Areas into OVERNIGHT GHETTOS.
Yup, that’s what the MASSIVE Section 8 bill did. Since July 14th, 2008, it’s changed cities like the one just outside San Francisco, Antioch, California into a Nightmarish Ghetto.
It was one of the loveliest cities for Surburban Middle-Class I have ever seen, but not now. It is becoming just another, Inner-City crime ridden, messy, overcrowded, polluted, DANGEROUS, Drug infested, bad school, Gangbangers Paradise, DISASTER! My city near by where I work, same thing. Same thing in Lancaster, CA. Same thing in Oxnard, CA.
Oh, and if the low-incomes that are helped out with This NEW Bailout Bill, or HR-3221, don’t pay, and just play like they did moving into homes around my Step-Mom’s house in Eagle Rock, CA, Glendale, CA & Pasadena, CA, San Marino, CA, with their Principil Reduction & Interest Rate Reduction, then THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, just like a Boomerang, Merry-Go-Round, AGAIN.
But, the Grand Theft Democrats that will use Barney Frank as their Scapegoat, to divert the fact that Dodd, took the MOST money from Fannie & Freddie, then Kerry and in third place at $1.6 Billion, Obama took money from Fannie & Freddie, they will use Barney-Elmer Fudd to take the rap.
They will Grand Theft the Taxpaying Middle-Class with MORE Tax And Spend for Extremely low-incomes and low-incomes.
Poor things. They just have it so darn hard, driving Cadallic Escalades with Spinner rims. The USE every little Trick to get Low-Income Funding Program Aid too. Mama is NOT married to Papa, so Mama lives on Welfare and Food Stamps and low-income heat assistance, free college aid, and the plethora of low-income aid programs, Papa works Construction under-the-table, and Poof! You have the Formula.
Now, when in early 09′ the Illegals are Legalized, they are ‘Waiting’ to line up at Social Security Administration Office to start collecting SSI/SSP, or SSI & Food Stamps along with MediCal or MediCaid, so when the Construction dries up, the House Payments can be made, and they can easily keep the Gasoline in the Cadallic Escalade with the Spinner Rims!
My neighbors, 2 of them ,just bought brand new cars. On SSI/SSP that is. One has a Convertable Mustang! Brand New!
And the other bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse, it’s a HOT CAR! Wow! Those poor Extremely Low Incomes & Low Incomes, sure have it ruff!
I wonder why then, all the extremely low-incomes & low-incomes, like my neighbors are either A)-> Morbidly Obese from watching soap operas all day, on their backsides, and going to the Gambling Casinos at night, after a fine dining experience at the Steak House in town, or B)-> Super skinny with NO TEETH from Meth Addiction???
And, did you know that SSI/SSP get’s FREE/GRATIS dental care? Free/Gratis liposuction and tummy tucks? Georgous Veeneer Caps on their Teeth, those DiVinci’s? They do…
And, they get all the Med’s FREE. And they can qualify for SSI/SSP from Meth Addiction, the Affects of being hoplessly addicted to Alcohol & or Meth, and Depression & Anxiety.
Did you know that the MOST people that are each year, qualifying for SSI/SSP, teenagers that have been on it for Depression, Anxiety or ADHD most of their lives, and will live the REST OF THEIR LIVES ON SSI/SSP, without paying taxes?
They get a Rental/Homeownership Property Tax Re-Payment too at the End of each year of 95%, they are just racking in the checks now. Neighbors used the money for the DAP for their new car! They were NOT supposed to get Stimulus Checks being on SSI, but they DID. They just claimed it was Social Security on Their Tax Returns that were prepared FREE. SSI is NOT Social Security, you never have to work a minute of your life for SSI. AND YOU MAY OWN 1-Home & Land per person, OF ANY PRICE OR VALUE, my neighbor’s house is Valued at $375,000 on over 5 Acres of land, but I pay them, to sit!
Here is what you can expect more of, lies saying the poor don’t get enough help! Poo! I’m here to say, that is NOT REALITY AT ALL, I can Counter any kind of excuse you have to them NOT GETTING ENOUGH HELP.