Dear Editor:
As an avid fan of all sports, I love sports competitions at all
levels, even profressional. As a taxpaying citizen, I am outraged
that the president and our elected officials will spend precious
time and money to debate steroids in baseball, but not on educating
themselves about the impact of Section 8 cuts to their
constituencies.
Dear Editor:
As an avid fan of all sports, I love sports competitions at all levels, even profressional. As a taxpaying citizen, I am outraged that the president and our elected officials will spend precious time and money to debate steroids in baseball, but not on educating themselves about the impact of Section 8 cuts to their constituencies.
The steroid/baseball issue is easily resolved: either get Bud Selig to get tough or get out. Professional sports leagues make TONS of money, not to mention public money, for building their arenas, ball fields and stadiums; they should be able to police themselves. If they can’t, then we as consumers need to recognize that these competitions are false contests and quit spending hard-earned money to see cheaters. End of story.
In contrast, the federal government’s incomprehensible laissez faire stance on housing markets in which prices escalate so high that even middle income families are priced out of local housing and damned to long commutes, and housing subsidies are cut so that poor families are made homeless, genuinely jeopardizes our families and communities.
However, it will not let “the market” take care of corrupt professional sports, which provides only entertainment, and does not contribute lasting value to communities even a fraction as much as stable permanent housing for all does.
Local newspapers have publicized the impact of these cuts. Housing and budget experts from the national to local levels have predicted that many local families will become homeless. The administration’s housing policies are incredibly inconsistent: they are requiring communities across the country to come up with “10-year plans to end homelessness.” It is spending a lot of money and publicity on Ending Chronic Homelessness, but then makes another cut that will make a different group of people homeless, leaving them to grapple not only with the challenges of keeping their families together due to lack of housing, but also the stigma of homelessness. Children are put at risk, creating the potential for chronic homelessness for a new generation. Communities like ours won’t be able to end homelessness – chronic or otherwise – in 10 years.
This is outrageous. We must show our elected representatives that, unlike the federal government, we have appropriate priorities: housing over pro sports. Please call your elected official and express your opposition to the changes to Section 8 housing.
Dina Campeau, Morgan Hill
Submitted Saturday, March 27 to ed****@****ic.com
