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In reply to the discussion: Third Way's Jon Cowan. "The left's four fiscal fantasies" [View all]madfloridian
(88,117 posts)54. Cowan's words about public housing.
Third Way is the wrong way
From 2007
From 2007
Blowing up public housing is not a progressive value
Recently, Third Way's President, Jon Cowan, made a presentation to the Democracy Alliance, a center-left organization that is attempting to build progressive political infrastructure. Cowan spent his speech shouting at the audience and half his time explaining that when he worked at the Housing and Urban Development Department under Andrew Cuomo, he worked to "blow up public housing" and replace it with two and three-story public housing. He characterized his work as "modernizing" progressive ideas.
What Cowan failed to explain, however, is that much of the public housing blown up was sitting on valuable urban land and was replaced, not by low-income housing, but by developments of mid and high-priced condominiums, while the poor were moved farther from cities, and that some of the blown up housing had been recently built and was in good condition. More significantly, Cowan failed to acknowledge that the number of replacement units did not match the number of housing units blown up and thousands of low-income tenants were left homeless by this "modernization." The next day, Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director of Center for Community Change, an organization that works on behalf of low-income people, called this demolition of public housing, with the insufficient housing replacement, "immoral."
Blowing up public housing and leaving thousands homeless may be Third Way's idea of "modernization," it may even appeal to some Democratic real estate developers, but there is nothing progressive about it.
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Looks like a plan to me........this, IMO, is what Hillary and Obama are all about.
djean111
Feb 2014
#3
The fantasy is that "no one" is saying that any of these things solve anything.
Lint Head
Feb 2014
#4
Defense should be a big target. But, assuming his deficit numbers are anywhere close to
Hoyt
Feb 2014
#10
Tell that to SS beneficiaries when their benefits are automatically cut by one-third, or
Hoyt
Feb 2014
#16
I agree. But, I don't think the needed big tax increase solves the problem. Good start,
Hoyt
Feb 2014
#19
BS like this from the Turd Way really makes me support Parity Purity even more
wocaonimabi
Feb 2014
#25
The republicans fleeing the crazy party have to go somewhere. Well lookie here, they're trying to
myrna minx
Feb 2014
#48