Anyone who has read Thomas Sowell’s The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy understands the worldview of “progressive” billionaire Tom Steyer. There is no problem that cannot be solved, such people believe, if (a) we put “enlightened” people in charge, and (b) we give them unlimited power and taxpayer dollars to provide a “solution.” If you voice objections to these grandiose schemes — e.g., explaining that similar plans have failed in the past, or pointing out the fiscal problems involved — you will discover that it is impossible to dissuade the Anointed from their cherished Vision. Facts don’t matter, past precedents prove nothing, and even basic arithmetic must be ignored, because the status quo is “unacceptable,” the problem involved is a “crisis,” and only a coward or a fool could oppose a “solution.” The man who bought his way into the debate is all-in on the housing “crisis”:
Democrat presidential hopeful Tom Steyer claimed he would “force” American towns to accept new, affordable housing in certain areas while speaking at the Democrat presidential primary debate held in Atlanta, Georgia, at Tyler Perry Studios on Wednesday.
Steyer’s remarks came as he was asked about affordable housing, particularly in his home state of California, which includes Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“When you look at inequality in the United States of America, you have to start with housing,” Steyer claimed. “Where you put your head at night determines so many things about your life. It determines where your kids go to school, it determines the air you breathe, where you shop, how long it takes you to get to work.”
“What we’ve seen in California is as a result of policy,” Steyer continued. “We have millions too few housing units and that effects everybody in California. It starts with a homeless crisis that goes all through the state, but it also includes skyrocketing rents that effect every single working person in the state of California.”
Steyer then claimed he knows “exactly what needs to be done” to address the housing crisis, and discussed the impact on the climate regarding certain liveable locations.
“I understand exactly what needs to be done here, which is why we need to change policy and we need to apply the resources here to make sure that we build, literally. millions of units,” Steyer said. “Where people live has a dramatic impact on climate and sustainability.”
Steyer then claimed that his administration would “force” towns to accept new housing units that are affordable for its residents.
“So, we’re gonna have to direct dollars, we’re gonna have to change policy and make sure that the localities and municipalities who have worked very hard to ensure that there are no new housing units built in their towns that they change that and we’re gonna have to force it,” Steyer added. “Then we’re gonna have to direct federal dollars to make sure that those units are affordable.”
People will say, “There’s no way Steyer’s going to get the nomination,” and this is obviously true. However, the point of all these debates — with Democratic hopefuls vying to out-bid each other on what fantastic amounts of money they’ll spend to provide “solutions” to every imaginable “crisis” — is that it moves The Overton Window. When allegedly Serious People spend hours spewing radical nonsense on national TV, it makes this nonsense seem possible, or even practical.
