New low income homes a bad idea

There certainly is no more honorable position than to stand up for affordable housing for the poor as was stated in a recent Tiems-News editorial. However does this nobility extend to providing housing to poor persons which is more expensive than that in which most of the local residents currently live? The median home sale price in Allegany County is about $85,000, which means that half of our local residents live in homes valued cheaper than the proposed Consortium project homes.
 
 Putting all zoning problems aside, do we really need an additional 35 new homes for low income families in Allegany County as recently suggested by the Interfaith Consortium and agreed to by your recent editorial?
 
 According to recent census reports Allegany County has lost over three thousand people in the past ten years. With an average of four persons living in a household that equates to about 750 fewer residences needed in this area. In the 1950’s Cumberland had a population of 50,000 but now has only 24,000. Even the local schools have consolidated due to excessive capacity. What constructive solution is being attempted regarding the excessive housing stock in our area as the population continues to decline?
 
 Currently there are 170 homes for sale for under $50,000 in Allegany County, with perhaps many more in this price range not yet marketed. Enclosed is a copy of the Sept./Oct. 2000 “Welcome Home” real estate brochure with over 250 homes listed in this area priced below $85,000 (the projected cost of an Interfaith Consortium subsidized home). At the special rate of 5% for first time buyers the monthly payment for such homes would be between $150 and $300, well below many rents charged in this area.
 
 Cannot 35 of these existing homes be found for low income residents? Who will buy these properties if poor people won’t? I’m not poor and all the houses (four of them) I have bought in the past twenty years were for less than $85,000.
 
 The city housing authority indicates that 360-400 persons apply annually for housing assistance and rents usually are in the $300 to $350 range. So for no or little additional personal expense to low income renters, wouldn’t it make sense to encourage private home ownership of existing housing stock rather than creating additional 35 unused housing units, thus contributing to the blight and associated neighborhood problems?
 
 The Times-News frequently runs articles about individual attempts to reduce blighted properties. Blight is well known to encourage crime and depress surrounding property values. There are a large number of blighted properties sprinkled throughout our area, and certain parts of the county are in great need of revival. Cannot two birds be killed with the same stone in using available monies to address our blight problem?
 
 Sure one can complain about governmental beaurocratic limitations, but we are the government. “What man writ man can unwrit.”
 
 Baltimore City has acknowledged their housing problem and undertaken a massive program to rid itself of excessive, uninhabitable properties through a process of condemnation and rebuilding. Enclosed is an article from the Baltimore Sun where homesteading of abandoned properties has led to the creation of renovated homes for families for a cost of between $40,000 and $60,000. If they can do it, why can’t we?
 
 There are at least eight governmental agencies associated with public housing in Allegany County. A coordinated effort by the City and County governments will be needed to address this problem as well as cooperation with Federal and State officials, since the latter group seem to have better access to the available tax monies than do our local officials. I urge our county and city officials and other interested citizens to tackle this pressing economic dilemma to move our community forward so we might be more attractive to prospective investors.
 
 
 Sincerely,
 
 Frank J. Clark
 (Also submitted to the Times-News for publication on 9-21-00)
 
 9/29

 

Bowing to Political Pressure

I read with interest Mr. DeArmon's concerns regarding this website. As a politically involved citizen here in Allegany County, I am all too aware of the tremendous filtering of public information that takes place through traditional media outlets. The political pressure is unrelenting. Mr. DeArmon first appeared to be a candidate with true promise; I had hoped he would be a candidate unlike those with whom we seemed to be plagued. However, the behind the scenes machinations that have led to his disclaimer of this website have proven to me that he will fit in beautifully in our nation's capital. That is not a good thing.

- Erin Geatz DeLong, Cumberland
9/21/00

 

Save our state of Maryland

I have lived in Maryland almost all of my life except when In the Military. I have seen a few good Governors and many bad ones. I have not however, seen any or these past Governors deliberatly destroy a part of our Constitution until Comrade Glendening and Comrade Taylor decided that they had better knowledge than our forefathers that the 2nd amendment to our constitution should be abolished. Now note that they could not do this in a honorable method. They had to take the excess taxes that they charged the citizens of Maryland to buy the votes to pass the latest bill to remove guns from all the citizens of Maryland by making the guns so expensive that the gun manufacture would not sell guns in Maryland. Md. has already has a law that guns can not be bought in other states for Maryland citizens. No gun sales in Md. no guns after 2001. This back door method is equivelent of Comrade Glendening getting over 1,000 votes from dead people in Baltimore during his election and Cass Taylor hiring a person to video his opponents every move for months to try and find something she would do wrong. (court records, Allegany County). Now citizens of Maryland. We know these characters use our excess tax money paid to the state of Maryland to beat us down so what are our choices. Armed Rebelion, forceably remove them from office or best yet is form a Maryland Citizens Coaliation to stop these Inebt, corrupt and crooked politician. We have access to their voting base right here for this area and if we could get this Maryland wide, we could stop them cold and put them both out to pasture where they belong. It wouldn't be easy but we have to fight these blood suckers and hurt them to the extent that they would never want to be in a public office again. With this coalition, we could have a one to one chat with Comrade Taylors constituants and let them know first hand what he has done to this county. We only have 72,000 citizens in our country and between Comrade Taylor and the County Commissioners we are about 92 million dollars in debt. Now if you really want a shock, divide 92,000,000 by 72,000 and then multiply that number by however many people you have in your family (men, women and children) and that is how much you are indebt with much more to come. Stop them now citizens of Maryland. Stop them cold and save our State of Maryland from these people. We have this choice and I know what I am going to say now is going to upset many of you Democrats but here it is. The Democrats (bar none) voted to take our 2nd amendment rights from us. This coming election, everyone vote for the Republician canidate and get these bad people out of office. The next election if these Republicians are no better, everyone vote all Democrat. Put the fear of God (which they don't want us to mention} into these politican hacks. By the way, the way our founding fathers set up our government, the farmers, labors, Doctors and all the average people were supposed to be the ones running this country of ours, not career minded politicians that never worked a day in their life. Who was the famous person that said it is better to govern the country by the first 1,000 names in the telephone book than to have one intellect governing us. Man was he ever right (Clintons and Glendening)

-D.S., Cumberland
9/25/00

 

A good vehicle for Conversation

I think that this web page is an excellent vehicle for people to breach different subjects and ideas that are not normally mentioned in our mainstream political meetings and functions.

Who knows, why someone might actually have a great idea who is not currently an elected official and might with some luck be able to bring it to their attention through intelligent conversation and dialogue.

- P.K. LaVale, Md

 

Don DeArmon Disclaimer

A number of Allegany County residents have expressed concern to me about this Web site, and I share their concern. Although I am grateful for political support, I did not know about this Web site until it was brought to my attention. I have no association with its content, and I do not endorse anything in the Web site. In fact, I disagree with many of its characterizations.

Newspapers will not print anonymous letters to the editor for good reason. I find it ironic that a group that professes "new honesty" and "new integrity" on its home page, then cloaks its content in anonymity. To whom do I take a complaint if my letter is edited or my views are misconstrued?

I strongly disagree with the anonymous nature of this Web site. I urge you to take responsibility for its content by identifying yourselves.

- Don DeArmon
Candidate for Congress

Editor's note: We sincerely believe Don DeArmon to be the best person for the job in the Sixth District of Congressional race. However, after Cas Taylor threatened to pull his support of Don's candidacy if Don didn't distance himself from this website, Don sent the e-mail above. We decided for the good of the SixthDistrict that we needed to help Cas do what he's supposed to be doing - supporting the candidacy of other Democrats - and have pulled Don's link. Anyone wishing to see Mr. DeArmon's website can find it at www.dearmon.com.