Wiener’s “SB 899” panders with band aids, blurs church-state separation, fails to proffer public-interest solutions
Quick fixes conceived under pressure of crisis (and compounded crises) made
not by inadequacy of the entity or institution of government — but by the impenetrable
corruption, nepotism, incompetence, carelessness, and neglect of men and women ensconced
in and around public office over many years.
Alternatives which are narrow-minded, shortsighted “nongovernmental” (anti-“bureaucracy,”
anti-“government”), which amass wealth masked as doing good, which cash in and
drain the public treasury (as surely as the military industrial complex) never aid public health and welfare.
More often than not, as with Wiener's proposal, they selfishly
(a) breach the crucial barrier, in place to avert conflict and tribalism, which separates sectarianism from civil service (State)
(b) undermine essential, duly-designated public sector issues and priorities; and
(c) further destroy public taxes-funded (and mandated) competent civil service for the general public health and welfare.
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oliticians’ Pandering Never Solves Problems
Duke University graduate, Fulbright
Scholar, Harvard Law graduate Scott Wiener was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, grew up in southern New Jersey, and worked as a litigator for the
bankrupt multinational Limited Liability Partnership Heller Ehrman White &
McAuliffe headquartered in San Francisco, California.
- In 2008, his former firm “filed a voluntary petition for chapter 11 bankruptcy for protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California” throwing the firm into chaos over who was “entitled to revenue from client matters pending at the time of bankruptcy.” In 2016, the dispute reached the California Supreme Court.
- In November 2016 Scott Wiener became a state senator for California’s District 11.
- Estimated daily homelessness (2019) in Wiener’s old and later states of residency
Pennsylvania: 13,199
New Jersey: 8,862
California: 151,278
- Public school student homelessness conditions school year 2017-2018
Pennsylvania: 440 students unsheltered, 6,681 in shelters, 2,231 in hotels/motels, and 21,901 doubled up.
New Jersey: 76 unsheltered, 1,982 in shelters, 1,511 in hotels/motels, and 9,665 doubled up
California: 10,407 unsheltered, 17,299 in shelters, 13,713 in hotels/motels, and 221,639 doubled up.
March 2020
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an Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener introduces “SB 899 to allow
faith institutions (such as churches, synagogues, and mosques) along with
nonprofit hospitals to build affordable housing on their property by right,
even if local zoning prohibits this type of housing.”
Wiener’s stated Rationale for his quick fix
- Because: “Churches and other religious and charitable institutions often have land to spare, and they should be able to use that land to build affordable housing and thus further their mission.”
- Because: “California desperately needs housing of all kinds, including affordable housing for ‘our’ low income residents.”
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ONSENSE!
Contrary to the state senator’s enthusiasm for further breaching
of the time-honored doctrine of separation of church and state, the government should not be
in the business of helping sectarians further their “mission.” Their “mission” is their issue.
Nevertheless… sheep follow
California State Assembly (15th
Assembly District) Hillary’ite Buffy Jo Christina Wicks:
“The State needs to consider all options for alleviating our [it is disgusting how politicians and media personalities incessantly and insincerely use the first person plural possessive "our"] housing crisis, and removing roadblocks for the faith community is a critical step in the right direction.”
Ethically compromised San
Francisco Mayor London Breed:
“Our housing shortage is the result of decades of under building and restrictive zoning, and as a result, the cost of housing in San Francisco is unaffordable for many of our residents. We need solutions to eliminate the red tape that gets in the way of creating more affordable homes in our city.”
Breed’s get-government (unelected-bureaucrats) -off-our-backs reasoning” is ideologically
scripted and fatally flawed. Her facts only minimally true.
San Francisco is a big
place with many buildings. And every municipality in the country has, one
expects, properly thought out zoning laws.
In serious terms of permanent priorities and principled policies,
politicians— as always, operating from crisis to crisis and election to
election — fail to address critical issues in the public interest and for the
long term.
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ritical issues crafty politicians omit
- Inferior education and training
- Inadequate transferable skills
- Uneasy or impossible access to mental health and referral services and more general human resources
- Lack of or insufficient innovative workplaces planned and designed to replace incursion of automation
- Under- and unemployment
- Work and income insufficiency to cover costs of housing and related necessities
- Wherewithal overall (mentally and physically) to stave off homelessness
People don’t need churches or other profiteers calling themselves non-profits.
People do not need others' guilt or alms or "do-gooding" "missions" or
condescending, self-serving “charity.”
People don't need proselytizing
People need strengthening resources permanently enabling self-sufficiency and
independence.
Why not for public good instead of mere private gain employ the principle of —
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minent Domain
As to the specific area of affordable housing, eminent domain is the better
public course for the public good.
It lacks hidden motives and /or government laundering public money
through private sectarian “nonprofit” enterprises, or private sectarian “nonprofits”
laundering money through government.
It is a traditional public instrument that
avoids breaching important public doctrines such as the separation of church
and state.
The law of eminent domain (land acquisition, compulsory purchase) means
the State, Province or National Government is empowered “to take private
property for public use.”
To serve the general public, the federal legislature, acting on behalf of the general public, could declare excess properties held by religious places or spaces (churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, etc., shouldn't object since they are such do-gooders) for public use; and make a one-time “just compensation” to the owners.
Sources
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
“New Jersey Homelessness Statistics” https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/nj
“Pennsylvania Homelessness Statistics” https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/paa
“California Homelessness Statistics” https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ca
https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/20200306-senator-wiener-introduces-housing-legislation-allow-churches-and-other-charitable
https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/biography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Wiener
Eminent domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain#United_States
Curbed San Francisco “New bill would allow churches and hospitals to
build housing on their land: Faith can be your shelter, but it probably
shouldn’t be the only one” Adam Brinklow
March 6, 2020 https://sf.curbed.com/2020/3/6/21168455/wiener-church-affordable-housing-sb-899-bay-area
Curbed reports on “homes, streets, neighborhoods, and cities as
inextricably related” (and brings) “local issues to a broad, national audience.”
https://www.curbed.com/pages/about-curbed
London Breed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Breed
Buffy Wicks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_Wicks
Other supporters of Wiener in their own narrow interests:
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California Executive
Director Amie Fishman
Nonprofit Housing Association of Southern California Executive Director
Alan Greenlee
https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/20200306-senator-wiener-introduces-housing-legislation-allow-churches-and-other-charitable
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