“We live now in an era where normal values
have been displaced. The good is called bad, the bad – good.” – Anna
Politkovskaya.
“What we
may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a
particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is,
the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of
Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.” Francis Fukuyama, The
End of History?
Using federal grant money to fund
and expand the tentacles of Sustainable Development has a number of ugly
realities. First, and easiest to understand, is that this is a money
redistribution scheme that helps bankrupt both the federal government and the
middle class. The money wasn’t allocated specifically by Congress to fund
grants that come from HUD, EPA, DOT, DOE (and maybe other sources as well).
Second, the projects into which this
money goes do very little to improve the infrastructure, to help stimulate the
local economy or to benefit those it is ostensibly designed to help. I say
‘ostensibly’ because that is what those handing it out and those spending it
say it is for, but it is truly a wealth redistribution plan as noted in first
paragraph.
Let’s look at just one of the grant
sources, the Community Development Block Grants:
As
noted by the Cato Institute, CDBG activities are supposed to meet one of three
objectives: (1) benefit low- and moderate-income persons, (2) prevent or
eliminate slums or blight, or (3) address a serious need or threat that has
particular urgency.9 A huge range of activities meet these criteria,
including:
- acquisition of property
- construction or repair of streets, recreation facilities, and other public works
- demolition and rehabilitation of public and private buildings
- public services and planning activities
- assistance to nonprofit and for-profit groups for community development purposes
These ‘plans,’ supposedly put
together by the local metropolitan planning commission along with the city or
county council are just like every other plan in every other community in the
world. Yes, the world, not just the U.S. Can anyone say that Kalispell,
Montana, San Francisco, California, Knoxville, Tennessee, Lhasa, Tibet and
Saigon, Viet Nam are so alike that it is only natural that their General Plans
for the next 10 or 20 or 50 years all look the same?
Moreover, these plans are building
non-elected boards and regional councils made up of ‘stakeholders’ (private
political organizations – NGOs affiliated with the UN – that are not local, but
travel the nation, imposing Sustainable community plans, and thereby feeding
off the grant money). Also cashing in are major corporations and business
owners who are looking to cash in through Public Private Partnerships,
Look at just one local community’s
take from the federal government and stop and think about how much control the
feds take for their largess with your money. Then multiply that by every city
and county in the country:
- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
- HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME)
- Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG)
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