Chicagoist: Daley to Erase CHA Leaseholder Electric Bills

Kevin Robinson

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:13:01 -0600

It is that simple, JP2. Someone, somewhere will always figure out a way to scam the system. And there will always be people that aren't accountable for their actions. There's nothing the state can do about that. Government should do what the private sector cannot or will not do. In economics, I think that's called mitigating externalities. I mean, we could make the same argument for cutting off so-called corporate welfare. But I think I'd rather see decent businesses benefit from government assistance while some of the bad guys rip us off (since they always will), than cut everyone off and call it a day. Just like government can't solve all of our problems, we have to find ways to make society better through the actions of the community. Be that corporate accountability or accountability among the poor, that's just how it is.

JP2

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:51:40 -0600

Agreed, if only the world were so simple that the choices were only those two. Meantime, the culture of unaccountabilty resulting from such complete subsidies each year leaves thousands dead in mindless violence, and hundreds of thousands leading desperate existences contributing nothing to society.

Kevin Robinson

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:39:07 -0600

I think I'm OK with some portion of public housing residents getting their utilities paid when they probably don't deserve it, than some portion of public housing records freezing to death in the dark because they couldn't pay their bills.

magilla gorilla

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:26:10 -0600

i guarantee you not one of these people has a problem paying their cable and cell phone bills on time

JP2

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:30:36 -0600

Seems that creating these kinds of quick fixes only lead to expectations of the same sort of quick fixed in the future. At some point there has to be some accountability, and perhaps they could have done this in a way that does not let people free of the responsibilities they shirked.

fed up

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:37:37 -0600

When your getting free rent is it to much to ask that you pay your own utilites. I guess so.

Vermin

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:26:44 -0600

"The bums lost. My advice is to do what your parents did! Get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski? "

matty

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:17:25 -0600

Great article. This is a serious issue as people are being displaced with nowhere to go. Mixed income and scattered site housing is a good way to go, but if the residents being displaced from the project don't actually ever live in these new mixed income projects than they are essentially being foced out of the system entirely.