Saturday, October 22, 2011

British Now Looking To "Redistribute" Grandma's House

No need to speculate on what the end result of Barack Obama's - and the Democrats - polices would be, all you need to do is to look askance to merry old England, where the Left is now looking to redistribute housing.  Including the one you may live in:

Older people should be taxed out of their family homes to free up space for younger generations, says a report backed by Labour.

It argues that 'empty nesters' in their 60s are taking up too much room and should be 'encouraged' by a new 'land tax' to downsize to smaller homes.


The call comes from the Intergenerational Foundation, a left-leaning think-tank that aims to 'promote fairness between generations'.



The language used below should sound familiar to anyone who's listened to a word out of Obama's mouth:


The Intergenerational Foundation says there are 25 million unused bedrooms in the country and eight million ‘under-occupied’ homes.

More than half of people aged over 65 live in homes with two or more spare bedrooms that could be used by young families, it adds.


The report, Hoarding of Housing, says: ‘While younger families are increasingly being squeezed into small flats and under-sized houses, older people are often rattling around in big houses with many bedrooms standing empty, often for years.’

Report co-author Matthew Griffiths said: ‘It is perfectly understandable that retired people cling to their home long after it has outlived its usefulness as a place to bring a family up in.

‘But there are profound social consequences of their actions which are now causing real problems in a country where new house building is almost non-existent.’


"Cling", "social consequences", "promoting fairness"...see where it all leads? To a government official inspecting your house, and deciding whether you have too much spare footage. Footage that another family - likely a supporter of the party in power - could use, but may not be able to afford. Unless the same government that forces you into the street at gunpoint loans them the money at a massively reduced rate. Money which you have provided to them yourself, ironically, with your tax dollars.


Careful, little girl...Didn't anyone tell you they took that house away from Grandma?  There's a drum circle in there now...

The Left sees this as fairness. If you believe it's true, well...then get your ass down to Zuccotti park. Of course, if you are a bitter clinger who wished to "occupy" the home you may have built, or paid for over thirty years, you'd better think twice about who you are supporting at the voting booth. Because once the current "rich" are milked dry, you might find yourself at the top of the (reduced) heap, and see your wealth and property targeted for redistribution.


The power to redistribute wealth in general — on the basis of “fairness” — has been advanced as necessary to fix the current economic crisis. But it is ultimately sterile and self referential.... As Mark Steyn put it, “a society can live on the accumulated capital of a glorious inheritance only for so long.” On the day the credit card maxes out, then the welfare state’s grandchildren eventually come after their grandparent’s house. That was all in the arithmetic, present from the very start.


The endgame approaches in once-Great Britain. Can we learn from it before putting the same exact wheels in motion here?

2 comments:

Mike Thiac said...

JerseyNut

I linked to this my blog and you may find this interesting on why people in London have to go underground to expand their houses.

Scary what you say about "endgame approaches in once Great Britain..." I remember how the smart people in London wanted to "manage decline" (seems a popular phrase these days) in the 40s. Hopefully we don't go down that road.

Also, I see you like a good cigar...I’m partcal to Romeo y Julieta and I have a Reserve Churchill for tomorrow night. What type of stick you partial to?

The JerseyNut said...

Interesting post!

And I'm not really partial to any one brand, although my favorites are the Fuente Opus X and the Padron Anniversary Series...but they're kinda pricey, "once a month" cigars at best. Smoked a Liga Privada #9 by Drew Estates tonight - also not cheap, but also quite outstanding...