Housing Comes First

Miserable by Design

The Bush administration is conservative.

Families displaced by Katrina need housing assistance.

Conservatives prefer housing vouchers for private market housing to government-run public housing.

The Bush Administration refuses to use vouchers and will create Katrina mobile home ghettoes to house displaced families.

Why the logical disconnect? According to columnist Paul Krugman of the New York Times, Bush doesn't want to use vouchers because he's afraid they may be successful, hampering his efforts to downsize and eliminate voucher assistance.

The money quote:
"Mr. Bush can't avoid helping Katrina's victims, but he doesn't want to legitimize institutions that help the needy, like the housing voucher program. As a result, his administration refuses to use those institutions, even when they are the best way to provide victims with aid. More generally, the administration is trying to treat Katrina's victims as harshly as the political realities allow, so as not to create a precedent for other aid efforts. As the misery of the hurricane's survivors goes on, remember this: to a large extent, they are miserable by design."

posted by Phil @ 6:34 AM