Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon in charge of ... housing?
Dec 6, 2016 12:06:00 GMT
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Post by ck4829 on Dec 6, 2016 12:06:00 GMT
Dr. Ben Carson may be a fantastic neurosurgeon, but there is simply no reason for President-elect Donald Trump to assume he will be a capable, engaged secretary of housing and urban development. It’s not just his stumbling performance as a Republican presidential candidate. It’s that three weeks ago, when Carson was reportedly under consideration for secretary of health and human services, this is what his business manager said: “His background didn’t prepare him to run a federal agency.”
Now perhaps running HUD isn’t as daunting as being at HHS and overseeing the overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. But while housing secretary is not a high-profile position, HUD has arguably never been more important — and its housing policies aren’t serving large parts of America very well.
Instead of working with other federal agencies to aggressively encourage new construction of new housing to keep down the costs of rent and home ownership, HUD instead relies on subsidies to help poor families get housing. Unlike state programs that amount to long-shot lotteries that help a handful of residents, federal programs help 4.8 million households, according to a 2009 think tank report.
But that still means three-quarters of low-income U.S. families facing housing distress go without assistance; most communities have long voucher waiting lists. And it’s not just poor people who are hurt by expensive shelter. In California and the Northeast, housing costs have grown so high that many middle-income families find themselves living paycheck to paycheck. This burden can be heavy even in cities with much less expensive regulatory climates. A Trulia survey, for example, found that Dallas residents spend more than half their income on housing, commuting and utilities.
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/sd-hud-trump-ben-carson-20161205-story.html
What are his qualifications?
Now perhaps running HUD isn’t as daunting as being at HHS and overseeing the overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. But while housing secretary is not a high-profile position, HUD has arguably never been more important — and its housing policies aren’t serving large parts of America very well.
Instead of working with other federal agencies to aggressively encourage new construction of new housing to keep down the costs of rent and home ownership, HUD instead relies on subsidies to help poor families get housing. Unlike state programs that amount to long-shot lotteries that help a handful of residents, federal programs help 4.8 million households, according to a 2009 think tank report.
But that still means three-quarters of low-income U.S. families facing housing distress go without assistance; most communities have long voucher waiting lists. And it’s not just poor people who are hurt by expensive shelter. In California and the Northeast, housing costs have grown so high that many middle-income families find themselves living paycheck to paycheck. This burden can be heavy even in cities with much less expensive regulatory climates. A Trulia survey, for example, found that Dallas residents spend more than half their income on housing, commuting and utilities.
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/sd-hud-trump-ben-carson-20161205-story.html
What are his qualifications?
