The Right To Desegregated Housing

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There is a prevailing attitude among some that inequities are the fault of those that have attained more or gained more or produced more or contributed more. This attitude seems to have become ingrained in our judicial and legislative system.

The New York Times ran an online article about the court ordered development of low-income housing in Westchester County, New York. The particulars are not really important; the principle is.

Westchester County officials have entered into a landmark desegregation agreement that would compel the county to create affordable housing in overwhelmingly white communities and aggressively market it to non-whites in the county and in neighboring New York City.

De facto segregation is de facto racism according to the thinking of the courts. It leads to an inherent disadvantage for the excluded. Government must take action to change that.

“Residential segregation underlies virtually every racial disparity in America, from education to jobs to the delivery of health care,” said Craig Gurian, executive director of the Anti-Discrimination Center, which filed the suit under the federal False Claims Act.

So, in addition to a non-Bill of Rights right for health care, we also have a non-Bill of Rights right to low-income housing among high-income housing. In other words, those who have not been economically successful must be given compensation by those who have been more economically successful because the shortcomings of the less economically successful makes it likely that the less economically successful will suffer the shortcomings of being less economically successful.

“This is consistent with the president’s desire to see a fully integrated society,” said Ron Sims, the deputy secretary of housing and urban development, which helped broker the settlement along with the Justice Department. “Until now, we tended to lay dormant. This is historic, because we are going to hold people’s feet to the fire.”

I live in a nice, middle-class neighborhood... engineers, small business owners, factory supervisors, salemen... that is racially and ethnically mixed. The common denominator is that the home owners have a common attitude toward education and work that has resulted in their ability to afford homes in this neighborhood. There is no distinction or restriction based on race or ethnicity. Italians are free to celebrate their culture; Indians are free to celebrate their culture; Blacks are free to celebrate their culture.

What they don't do is raise these "cultural" distinctions to a level that impedes their economic success. They all recognize that the rewards in this culture are generally proportional to the education one achieves and effort one exerts. There is no expectation of being rewarded for the culture or ethnicity or race of their ancestors.

The U.S. courts, however, continue to make this meaningless distinction that race and ethnicity must be paramount in deciding what is equitable. It has nothing to do with what the individual has achieved or deserves. It is what the individual's race or ethnicity deserves.

One might ask the court why their decision doesn't include a provision for poorer whites who are under-educated, under-skilled, and have avoided the effort necessary to achieve economic success. Why are those whites not given special consideration? Could it be that they do not have a political interest group that the government [politicians] must satisfy?

Perhaps some Washington bureaucrats... or judges... would like this to appear next door.

or this...


or this....


There are certain "cultural" differences between those who aspire to better themselves and become productive members of a community... and those that don't. It isn't racial or ethnic. Court decisions don't change that.

Still, people who live in homes like this...


deserve to be punished for their hard work and success... and for keeping others not as accomplished from living near them by having property values too high. Those who have different aspirations have a right to live where they want to live. They shouldn't be denied their rights simply because they don't value education or personal sacrifice. After all, they were just unlucky.

Maybe they could just subdivide some of those properties and have the government put up some affordable homes.


Health care plan deja vu. I wonder what our new wise Latina Justice would say about this.

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