HUD Chief Accused of Retaliation

[cal04]

Source: Washington Post

Philadelphia Officials Sue After Land Dispute

Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson demanded that the Philadelphia Housing Authority transfer a $2 million public property to a developer at a substantial discount, then retaliated against the housing authority when it refused to do so, a recent court filing alleges.

The authority's director, Carl Greene, contends in a court affidavit that Jackson called Philadelphia's mayor in 2006 to demand the transfer to the developer, Kenny Gamble, a former soul-music songwriter who is a business friend of Jackson's. Jackson's aides followed up with "menacing" threats about the property and other housing programs in at least a dozen letters and phone calls over an 11-month period, Greene said in an interview.

Greene and his colleagues have alleged in the court filing that Philadelphia is now paying a severe price for disobeying a Bush Cabinet official. The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently vowed to strip the city's housing authority of its ability to spend some federal funds, a move that the authority said could raise rents for most of its 84,000 low-income tenants and force the layoffs of 250 people.

The housing authority responded by filing a civil suit in December against HUD and Jackson, in which Greene claimed that the actions by Jackson's department are "retaliatory" and that the Bush administration has exaggerated the troubles it cited as grounds for stripping the funds. Greene said the developer failed to deliver on contracts, leading the housing agency to conclude that the transfer would be improper.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020303107.html?hpid=topnews

[aquart]

1. Can we at least put this one in jail? Please? Pretty please?

Is it so wrong to want a Republican to go to jail every day until January 20, 2009? The moment the new president is sworn in, I want handcuffs on Georgie and Dickie.

We all have our tender dreams.

[KeepItReal]

2. "First Came Katrina, Then Came HUD"

"Since Katrina, the homeless population of New Orleans has doubled to more than 12,000 people. Despite what the New York Times on Dec. 2 called an “acute rental shortage,” HUD plans to spend $762 million to demolish public housing and replace it with only 744 new units of affordable housing. HUD will spend an average of $400,000 for each new mixed-income unit, while statements by HANO’S own insurance company have shown that many of the multiple-unit buildings to be demolished could be repaired for less than $10,000 per building."

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3504/first_came_katrina_then_came_hud/

[Ima]

4. it's sad

I saw pictures of two of the housing buildings. They were brick and looked very good from the outside. It just floored me they would tear down these nice looking buildings.

Bottom line they don't want low income people around.

[Solly Mack]

3. through and through

nothing but corrupt...

[progressoid]

5. Gee and I wonder why people dislike government so much?

[formercia]

6. The boys don't want you to dislike government

they want you to hate it.

In order to dismantle the Federal Government, they need the electorate to be willing and waiting to see it go by appointing incompetent and corrupt officials who spend money on pork barrel projects that enrich their friends and drain the treasury.

[flashl]

8. Creating disdain of government in the minds of its citizens is the purpose isn’t it?

Public distrust in all that is government is the final step of drowning the government in the bathtub.

Prior to the 'contract' on America, many conscientious government workers maintained a firewall that kept politicians and contractors at a distance from the U.S. Treasury. The huge ‘shadow government’ workforce today is a gigantic contractor workforce.

Purging contractors who falsely claim to have the interest of the 'government' at heart is the first step in realizing a 'government' that is representing the interest and will of 'the people'.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. That's how they do it when they force it.

Scary how much easier it is once they have all the shills in the area ready to accept bribes.