I just read an interesting article on Yahoo News. The French government is considering passing legislation that will make housing a "legal right." According to the article, this will make France the second such European country to do so (Scotland did this a few years back). What this means is that if you live in France and you don't have a home, the government will give you a place to live. Now, at first I thought "Wow, that sounds really great." Then the reality of what this might mean started to sink in. There are thousands of homeless people in France...how is the government going to pay to build these people apartments or mass shelters or whatever? Taxes.
Socialism is a really great idea. I think I like it better than Communism--on paper. You see, on paper both sound really great. Then you take the starry eyed idealism into the real world...and you get a fucking mess. For starters, even if these government run homes are shitty (which they probably will be) and full of drug abusers and mentally ill people (which they probably will be) there will be a certain set of people who will choose to take advantage of the government even though they probably could acquire a home of their own. What I'm suggesting is, there will be people who, if they tired (and say did a little hard work) could get a home but will opt instead to have the French government just take care of them instead. Now, what about those crazy/drug users I mentioned? Well won't the government have to help them/become responsible for them once they are living in French owned housing? Won't people be able to sue the French government when their free housing is torched because their crack-pipe-using neighbor fell asleep while getting high? I'm not an expert on French Law...and maybe the people there aren't as lawsuit happy as we Americans are, but still I wonder about how responsible the French government is going to become once it takes all these undesirables under it's wing.
I guess I'm just too cynical to enjoy this. I'm sure everything will turn out fine for this French experiment. I'm sure no one will sue the government. I'm sure there will be no scandals involving French politicians and the various contractors/building companies that will no doubt be involved in such a momentous project as building everyone in France a place to live. The idealist in me is very happy about this...but the older I get the louder the voice of the "realist" (i.e. the voice with the common sense) gets. I'm looking forward to watchign this development. I hope this becomes law and isn't just election year rehtoric.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070103/ts_afp/francepoliticshomeless_070103183244
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I just finished reading a book entitled Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich--in which she (a PhD in biology and well established writer) goes undergrown and works a series of minimum wage jobs in various locales. Part of what she found is that the biggest challenge of min. wage workers is finding AFFORDABLE housing. Seems that in prosperous times, the wealthy gentrify certain neighborhoods, which has the effect of jacking up rents everywhere. Many impoverished people will spend 50% of their income for a place to live. My husband and I are landlords for a handful of moderately priced apartments--our rule of thumb for whether a person can afford a place is that their rent & utilities should be no more than 25% of their income. What's a poor person to do? Pitch a tent or find a luxurious bridge to live under.
That's one of those books I've heard so much about but I avoid because I know it will depress me. I think that sort of eye-opening investigation is what the world needs right now (reminds me of BLACK LIKE ME). Poverty is one of those things that's a vicious cycle.
These types of social problems are what churches are for. I drive by these huge, mega-churches and think "how can these people justify these buildings..." Wasn't Chirst born in a barn?
The main problem though, I think is that eveyone assumes the problems are too big and there is nothing they can do. I know that's how I feel. I'm sure there's a lot we can all do...(?)
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