The Ultimate Insult

From the comments on an article regarding the construction of affordable housing at the corner of Una and Apache in Tempe, where Gracie's Thrift Store is now:

"The ultimate insult to those of us who can afford to live in nice places is putting low income housing near our homes. You live where you can afford to. It makes us folks who have studied and worked hard for many decades very angry at this kind of PC garbage. Perhaps the government at some level should subsidize me living in a multi-million dollar house somewhere because I can "only" afford a half-million dollar house. I used to be very liberal, but as I grow older, I become more conservative because I'm fed up with those who have-not demanding part of my money to give them things they cannot afford. Taking anyone's money without their permission is called theft and just because the govenment does it, does not make it right or legal. Sooner or later this stupidity from our elected leaders will drive us affluent folks out of this country. Thousands have already left."

 Few perspectives capture so succinctly the utterly addle-pated "logic" of the Arizona Conservative.

From the article:

"Gracie’s Village would be open only to residents with low or moderate incomes, between about $18,000 and $52,000. Gorman attorney Manjula Vaz said a project like this is important because it provides housing for people such as teachers, food service workers and others who work in Tempe but can’t afford to live there."

I (a teacher) lived there, in a threadbare Rentals Tempe house, for nearly $1000 a month, with the help of my cohabitator (an ASU graduate student). Tempe is simply one scam after another. Not far from where I live now, a 2 bedroom house was on the rental market for $1450 a month. Yes, a very nice house, in the "desirable" Maple/Ash neighborhood, but $1450 a month is laughable. There's a sucker born every minute, definitely.

The area repeatedly prioritizes fast money over community. And Tempe is known as a somewhat "progressive" enclave in brick red AZ. Funny and sad.