I am increasingly convinced that America is going insane.
Habitat For Humanity was founded about 4 decades ago by a minister in Americus, Georgia - not too far from Plains, where Jimmy Carter grew up. It viewed itself as an extension of the Christian gospel . . . a mandate to help the poor. Its original focus was providing decent housing for rural southwest Georgia families, who were shut out of the conventional housing market. The future owners of the houses worked along side volunteers to construct the simple structures. Local businesses donated materials and employees to further reduce costs. Typically, an owner of a Habitat house only has to pay around $200-$350 a month on their mortgage - vastly cheaper than rent.
What Habitat has become - is another question. I have my own thoughts, which for now will keep to myself.
Yesterday, an executive of Habitat Fort Humanity, announced that the organization was shifing from new construction to more rehab projects. He gleefully announced that "They could get more "bang for the buck" through purchasing foreclosed houses, fixing them up, and then selling them to lucky families selected by local Habitat committees." He added, "With so many people losing their jobs, we have a large inventory of modest sized houses to choose from. In fact our local organizations keep watch on potential houses so we can pick them up as soon as the lenders foreclose."
What a minute asshole! Are you so swept up in your MBA mindset, that you don't realize what you have said? You are watching families lose everything they have so you will have another house to rehab and therefore meet your quota!
Why not just help the families, who are in danger of losing their homes? OR do you want to make sure that only certain types of people (rightwing politics, fundementalist religious views) get inexpensive housing. That certainly is the case here locally. Not one African American, Native American or Mexican American family has been selected to recieve a Habitat house. All are White, and most attend the same Southern Baptist church.
Well, slap myself . . . there I go being logical and egalitarian again. 
Copy & paste to friend: (Click inside box; Ctrl + C to copy; Ctrl + V to paste)
|
|
read more blogs!
Blogs by Etowah:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Making People Homeless In Order To House the Homeless |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
travelwoman
|
Sep 28 @ 12:43AM
|
|
Well, slap myself . . . there I go being logical and egalitarian again Indeed... how on earth COULD you do that....?
It seems to me that a lot of do-gooder organizations understand the term "integrity" more and more losely....
I have been on the receiving end of such thinking myself and only keep quiet because.... they "do good" on the other end.
It is probably the same with the organization you mention. Things are obvious and probably well known to everybody. But everybody closes both eyes, BECAUSE said organization also happens to "do good" some place....
|
|
sweet5red
|
Sep 28 @ 3:32AM
|
|
i had to see where you were from.. there have been several famlies from my area that were chosen in raffles to get a habitat home.. matter of fact one was formerly from new orleans relocated after katrina.. and they were afroamerican and another was from here and were hispanic..  and habitat has done alot.. and i respect jimmy carter and rosalind forall they have done for people.. Sweet N Louisiana
|
|
musicianfriend
|
Sep 28 @ 3:55AM
|
|
|
Why not just help the families, who are in danger of losing their homes? OR do you want to make sure that only certain types of people (rightwing politics, fundementalist religious views) get inexpensive housing. That certainly is the case here locally. Not one African American, Native American or Mexican American family has been selected to recieve a Habitat house. All are White, and most attend the same Southern Baptist church.
HHHMMM...doesnt the person doing all the work get to pick who they want to help? Although I doubt what you say is the whole picture..
Rightwing politics? fundamentalists? Isnt Jimmy Carter a democrat?
Oh yea..just to note....I dont see any Mexican American, Native American, nor African American hosting any habitat for humanity helping whites?
How come white are expected to help EVERYONE..all the while being trashed by others? Its getting really tiring..
Whites ran America..had all the power..yet were gracioius enough to see that things needed to be changed and that America belonged to all..so we shared..
When the hell is it going to be enough? Right now...we are having our wealth redistributed as well...by the black man Obama...are you angry with him as well for being a part of the destructon of ALL Americans..all races? There was NO stimulous in that bill..It was a farce..a trick..
It reminds me of when the Israelies gave that land to Palestine..and they are still bitching..and bombing...when will it be enough? Or will it ever be..
This kind of thinking...blaming whites for all the problems is destructive..wE are good people..we have shared FREAKING EVERYTHING..when will it be enough?
We cant get ANY of the gov. help...NOTHING...but any other race can...
We can hardly get ANY gov. jobs...because we are white...but you can..cause your Native American? Black..Hispanic? Whats up with that freaking crap.
We dont have Affirmative Actions for whites..even though..the white male should be on the endangered species list...hes getting it from all sides..and the predujice aimed at him is disgusting....a white man is judged on his skin color....and not on what he has done as a person.
If this has been done in the past to races..its NOT THIS GENERATIONS FAULT....I do not feel I owe ANYONE for the slavery of the past..I didnt freaking do it..
I dont feel responsible for what happened to the Native Americans...I didnt FREAKING do it! I dont accept the blame at all...I didnt do it..no did ANY WHITES alive today...so that argument can be buried once and for all because all it does is cause division in this nation...
We aer trying to overcome these racial divides...This kind of comment only makes the divisions deeper...and its time to stop it..and accept responsibility for what we have made of our own lives..If our lives are in the shithole..perhaps its our own fault..and not that of whites..Quit blaming us for everything.
I am Native American also...Blackfoot from paternal grandmother....but I hold no anger for whites....thats the past...its over..
The Native Americans need to get their heads out of the booze bottle and buck up and be men...I know what goes on in the reservations..Its their own fault...sorry..but it is...and you know about all that other stuff going on there as well..that sick stuff...NOT the fault of whites..but their own doing...so give credit where credit is due..and blame where blame is due...
This generation didnt cause any problems for anyone...
As far as Habitat for Humanity....they started it...they work it..they can do what ever they please..
Why dont you start your own Habitat for Humanity and only help the Native Americans?
GGGEESSSHHHh get over it already..
Sorry...Etowah..I like you and your nice..but Im white and tired of being blamed for all the woes of other races..
When do those races finally become responsible for themselves..The opportunity is here...available for all...
Perhaps your anger should be at your own people and the other races for not trying...
Bill Cosby said, "If you cant make it here in America..YOUR JUST NOT TRYING."
If you give people a pity party platform..they never will grow as a person..cause by giving them a pity party..you are only making them weak. That is not helping them..but enabling them to stay irresponsible..
|
|
dizzydoll
|
Sep 28 @ 6:34AM
|
|
i wish i could help 
my prayers are with you my friend 
|
|
dizzydoll
|
Sep 28 @ 6:37AM
|
|
|
rather, i wish i knew how to help
|
|
Etowah
|
Sep 28 @ 7:50AM
|
|
What I am saying is that Habitat for Humanity has evolved into big business. I certainly don't think that Jimmy Carter would approve of what the local organization does, but there are Habitat chapters that do a lot of good, elsewhere.
Here, it is the same old, same old, drug money-ultra-rightwing alliance that is screwing up everything else in northwestern Georgia - and at the state governmental level.
|
|
bardnsage
|
Sep 28 @ 8:10AM
|
|
If I were a right wing conservative synic,,, I'd say something like habit requires the homeowner TO WORK on their home,,, but that would stupid and narrow minded.
I think you are probably seeing a localized effect for the habitat in your area. Don't know if it's racism at the core of the problem,,, or maybe just a lazy habitat volunteer who has found a cluster of people who qualify.
Churches are some of the most segregated places in America,,, and congregations usually share similar cohort effects. Race, ecconomics, education, etc. etc. etc.
What does concern me,,, is your point that a house is being foreclosed, a family put out, so another family can enter. It rasies many questions.
Does the family being put out, qualify for habitat assistance? Let's face it, if you have a job, and are being put out because you can't manage your credit,,,, may not qualify. Also,,, does habitat look at your income now,,, or last years income.
With the combining of Mohawk and Shaw,,, and the subsiquent buy out by Warren Buffet,,, the job market in your area has seen drastic changes. Of course,,, Warren Buffet is know for his close politcal ties with the LIBERAL side of the house,,, so his problem must be because he is rich and white, and not that he is conservative. That would be the same as that peanut farmer from GA, who thinks everyone is racist.
Are all the foreclosed houses being bought by habitat,,, occupant owned? They could be rentals,,, or investment properties,,, which would mean the owners are actually business owners,,,, making them sorry assholes. Everyone knows the goal of business is too keep down the other guy,,, making money or some such non-sense as that,,, is just a side line.
I think we've seen from the Acorn fiascoe,,, what happens when a business is run on emotion,,, and they leave the MBA's and high brain thinkers out of the process.
|
|
ttomtarr
|
Sep 28 @ 9:01AM
|
|
Richard, If you are going to observe the race of those receiving the houses, observe the race of those swinging the hammers, and doing the building work.
Anybody that wants a cookie has to help bake the cookies!
There is no law or moral basis stating one race is entitled to be served by another race. People have always banded together to help their friends and neighbors in America, people helping people like themselves. The pioneers did just that, Germans helping other Germans in Texas, Italians helping other Italians in Boston, Amish help another Amisher raise a barn, even today. The examples are endless.
Minorities who want help getting a house can get it at an Acorn office, whether they can afford it or not, which is one of the reasons so many houses are getting repossessed. Acorn will even tell you how to pay it off, pimping, and how to keep children as sex slaves.
|
|
HighlandsLass
|
Sep 28 @ 9:54AM
|
|
Hm, the assumption is that all the foreclosed homes displace families-- when in fact many are investment properties entrepreneurs purchased on the cheap hoping to flip during high times. Since I've both built and rehabbed homes I know the business decision to renovate is sound, and I would rather see HH become the owner of these properties than banks-- who are gobbling them up at pennies on the dollar for later resale when the market rebounds.
I am suspect of their role in the meltdown, creating desperate conditions from which they can eventually profit, at our expense.
 Ooops! Wonder what kind of politico these thoughts and ideas makes me? 
|
|
Etowah
|
Sep 28 @ 1:14PM
|
|
I think y'all are missing the point.
Modest size houses are owned by working people. Even if a breadwinner loses his or herr job, most families could afford the $200-$300 a month Habitat for Humanity mortgage payments.
What sense does it make to allow one family to be made homeless, so that another family can move from an apartment to a Habitat for Humanity house?
NONE
The apartments around here are more expensive that the conventional mortgage payments of modest homes.
|
|
ANGRY_MUPPET
|
Sep 28 @ 1:43PM
|
|
|
Are you so swept up in your MBA mindset, that you don't realize what you have said? You are watching families lose everything they have so you will have another house to rehab and therefore meet your quota!
yep.,they would have gotten more bang by making a few payments for someone instead of what they did and are doing anymore 
good blog 
|
|
AverageJoe
|
Sep 29 @ 12:27PM
|
|
" Why not just help the families, who are in danger of losing their homes? "
I agree with your suggestion Richard, but I have to disagree with your assessment of the Habitat for Humanity program. Most of the recipients of these houses that I see on the news here are solid chocolate.
|
|
|