More right-wing meanness: hurricane victims forced to leave cottages

Because this is a day ending in 'y', right-wing cruelty is on display yet again - and the Bipford media is already filtering the sordid story to quash all opposition.

Over 3 years after Hurricane Katrina, FEMA still hasn't found proper housing for survivors. And now hurricane victims in Mississippi are about to be forced out of FEMA cottages - with no recourse in sight and with nowhere to go.

And there's nothing to blame except sheer meanness.

The cottages are on the lots where the residents' houses once stood. How can they be told what to do with their own property? Conservatives are so gung-ho about their own property rights (even when something isn't their property), so why won't they defend the hurricane victims?

Because of the sacred banner of zoning. Conservatives are always griping about zoning when it bars them from using their property for unreasonable purposes. But now they want to keep hurricane victims from using their own property for a reasonable purpose: namely, to live in.

Some zoning rules were in fact designed in the spirit of meanness, and that's why zoning is now being invoked by officials. Some American communities have zoning regulations establishing a minimum house or apartment size - just to keep out people who can't afford such a large residence.

This same evil phenomenon is at work here. If these hurricane survivors were wealthy, they would've been able to build a permanent home by now. But they're not, and the towns are making them leave because of it.

In summary, the zoning rules are discriminatory: They discriminate on the basis of economic status. Thus, they are not legally valid. Sure, a city can try to enforce them - but just not legally.

I sure as hell wouldn't leave my cottage just because of some illegal zoning rule. If government officials are genuinely concerned about hurricane survivors, why not give them the assistance with rebuilding that they were promised?

(Source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3666738)