March 14, 2016

Richard Barkett – CEO

Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors

1765 NE 26^th Street

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33305-1438

RE: “Affordable Housing” – Some comments on your real estate musings in Sunday’s mini Op-Ed section in the unlinkable Sun Sentinel’

Mr. Barkett, 

To paraphrase Governor Cuomo pere, “Whenever I hear the term ‘Affordable Housing’ I reach for my revolver”.

Full disclosure demands that I tell you that in my other life I was an expert witness on the Federal Court level on federally secured mortgages.

VA, FHA, Sections 221D4, 234, 235, 236 inter alia.

Did you know that you could get Federal financing for a golf course if it were adjacent to a nursing home that had an FHA mortgage guarantee? I’ll bet you did.

You bemoan the fact that none of the candidates is talking about “affordable housing”. I say Deo Gracias for small blessings.

Weren’t we told a few years ago that our health insurance premiums were going to go down by $200 a month? And do you expect the same people in charge of that cock-up to run affordable housing? Jeezus Haitch Keerist! If you were a broad you’d always be preggers.

With the exception of the White House would anyone voluntarily live in public housing in D.C.?

You’re in the real estate business. Do you know where I can get a safe Section 8 apartment? One where I can have my granddaughters visit? One where you would have your granddaughters visit?

You mention “Affordable Housing” as if it just around the block, as if only a few good men, men of good will and better intentions can make it happen. History suggests otherwise.

Like an expensive yacht – Are there any other kind? – Affordable housing has 2 great days. Day 1 is when you open it. Day 2 is when you close it down and blow it up because you couldn’t pay Syrian refugees to live in it.

Here’s what I know. When the government interferes in a functioning marketplace chaos results. It is a History of abject, dismal failure. We have has the Departments of Energy and Education for almost 40 years. Johnny still can’t read and those ohmadahns in Washington would have to set themselves on fire to produce one kilowatt of electricity.

If you were to put them in charge of the beach they would be importing sand in 6 months. 

Edmund burke was right when he said “Experience is the only school at which some people will learn”. Why must the myth of Affordable Housing be exempt?

Kevin Smith

PS – On a more personal level either get a new dentist or get a new photographer. It looks like you got those choppers at a garage sale.