The time has come for our elected officials to address this impending health crisis in Prince William County. Not only are the sheer number of foreclosures a fiscal crisis, but there is a rising health concern as well. Now we must all band together and start creating some innovative solutions to deal with the foreclosure crisis. This issue affects us all!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/26/AR2008052602036_2.html?hpid=artslot
No county in the region has been hit harder by the foreclosure wave than Prince William, where there are nearly 7,000 empty houses, said neighborhood services coordinator Michelle Casciato. Given recent census estimates, that means about one in 20 houses in the county are unoccupied.
The county has had only a few cases of West Nile virus in recent years, he said, but it’s more of a concern this summer. “The risk is increasing with these vacant and unmaintained homes,” Meehan said.
And new residents aren’t filling up the empty houses fast enough. Although home sales in the county increased 14 percent from January through April compared with the same period last year, foreclosures in the county have gone up 211 percent in that time. There were 645 foreclosures last month in Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park, court records show.
Frustration and impatience have turned some residents into lawn-care vigilantes, who attack the blighted yards with their own mowers and implements. Technically, it’s trespassing, but health and safety matters come first.
Lucky Duck,
Okay, I won’t quibble about the word I used! Maybe it wasn’t the best, because I absolutely agree with your assessment.
1. I regard Corey a racist because first, he openly and aggressively endorses a policy written by racist hate groups and second because he censors people who offend him but doesn’t censor people who spout racism.
2. What I am saying is that the people in power should be LEADERS against racism, not perpetuators of it. Because they are leaders, they have the authority to direct the discussion and actually provide more education that will reduce racism in the general population. Our “leaders” are not doing this.
3. I want the immigration problem fixed as well. Most everyone does. Wanting the problems addressed doesn’t make you racist. Anon, I don’t know who you think is “painting” here. Approaching the problem from the stance of “we don’t like people who speak Spanish” and “we gloat when there are no brown-skinned kids at bus stops” and “we are using foot soldiers to stop this invasion” etc. etc. is a racial problem spawned by hatred, resentment, anger, political lust, and in some people’s case, insanity.
4. I didn’t start up the racial discussion again. I’m merely responding to the posts here.
Anon,
I agree with you, mostly, regarding not painting everyone as a racist who has expressed concern over neighborhood issues or immigration. But there is clearly a demographic component that cannot be ignored. I read statements over on BVBL, by regular posters, or even new posters, and I cringe.
I don’t see the concept of “racism” being the issue here.
While the term racism usually denotes race-based prejudice, violence, discrimination, or oppression, the term can also have varying and hotly contested definitions. Racialism is a related term, sometimes intended to avoid these negative meanings. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, racism is a belief or ideology that all members of each racial group possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as being either superior or inferior to another racial group or racial groups. The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines racism as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular racial group, and that it is also the prejudice based on such a belief. The Macquarie Dictionary defines racism as: “the belief that human races have distinctive characteristics which determine their respective cultures, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule or dominate others.”
Behaviors according to the above definition are what I see the “illegals” doing, not the people who are trying to enforce “illegal” immigration law.
This law is blind to race, gender, religion or ethnic group. It just happens to affect a particular ethnic group more than others because certain groups have broken this law more than others and have higher numbers of people in this country “illegally” who have broken this law.
Now if you want to also talk about the “ethical” behaviors of all cultures from all nations being “different”, simply browse WIKI on “Multiculturalism”, and take note how nations are starting to notice that these “diverse ethics” are undermining their legal systems, and they are re-thinking the reality of how their societies are disintegrating into conflicted factions that exhibit increasingly blatant racial behaviors to seperate themselves politically and socially from the common national identity, common law, and common society, to the disasterous detriment of the peace, financial wealth, and legal stability in these nations.
I would submit again the current high gas prices are a result of the “price of crude” traded on the “futures market” (I.e. gambling and speculation on social issues impacts), and the fall of the US dollar on the international trade floor (more futures speculation) due to the poor ethics of large numbers of ETHNICALLY preferrential mortgage owners to prefer and allow unethical and risky loans based on racial preferences and ethnic relationships to groups of these “illegal” immigrants who having no real risk or identity to be traced or held accountable for, simply walked away from the 7000 or so forclosed homes in PWC because they could not afford to maintain the rising ARM monthly payments on “illegal” immigrant wages.
The rest of us “legal” residents are left to clean up the mess the real “racists” made.
These differences in ethics are not racial differences or even cultural differences, but they have cultural components that depend more on how an “individual” is raised, than on what country or ethnic group they come from. I put the blame on the poor ethics of the “individuals” who chose to become “illegal” rather than “legal”.
You don’t get “rats” in an empty home. You get “rats” when people living in disregard for health concerns of the community, create “food” for rats to eat by piling up garbage. You get “ticks” from dogs that these people keep as pets and don’t provide proper care for their dogs, and you get “snakes” when mice are moving into the home, because the conditions inside are unsanitary, its cold outside, food is available, and the snakes follow them in because they are food right on up into the attic when rat traps and mice traps are nowhere to be seen because the people living in the home don’t care about it, or the yard, or the driveway, or their neighbors, or the conditions they live in.
You don’t get snakes because the grass is tall, they don’t live in the grass. You don’t get ticks unless deer live in your fields or dogs in your yard and you never let them into your home or give them any decent love and affection the way you would treat your own children. The dogs are left to lie in misery in the dirt, in a small pen, and full of fleas and ticks because the owners don’t care if they are miserable or even have any human contact at all with other family members in the home, except the mad dash to feed and water them once a day (if they even get that much attention).
It is by the way against the law to chain your dog. It should be against the law to put your dogs into small backyard pens and never allow them daily contact with human beings that will give them love and affection in the home. House dogs do not create ticks and fleas (very long). House dogs protect the house, yard dogs do not. They only get mean and bite people, other dogs, and children when they are chained and penned up like “criminals”. I see a rising trend in abuse of animals (and other people) from “illegal” immigrants.
Michael,
In simple terms because I have ( self diagnosed ) A.D.D what is your key point or what are you trying to say ( I have not read all of what you said and I stand by my reason above)
Please help people like me out 🙂 ( and I am not being sarcastic )
Michael,
Re: my post at 19:19 in response to yours at 18:50
Where there is a will there is a way ( even with SELF diagnosed A.D.D) I want to understand and I read and reread and reread….your post.
I get what you are saying and now I am left with this ONE question, WHO is to blame?
Elena, definitely agree with you about some posters on BVBL – there is a lot of over the top hatred stuff there, that is for sure. I still disagree with some other comments in this thread about racism however. I won’t deny that there is definitely an element out there in the county who are racists. I just feel on here at times it is being made to sound like there is a majority of people in the county who are racists, or the statement that the county is considered racist, doesn’t ring true to me. So if some percentage of the county is racist – lets say 15% – that makes the whole county racist? That’s essentially what has been said here. I hate to say it but I’d wager that this county doesn’t have that much larger a percentage of racists than other areas around here.
And kgotthardt – the proof is in this thread -the first mention of racism was in your post on this thread. Before that there wasn’t a hint of racism being discussed in this particularly thread. Just do a search from the top for the string “racis” and you will see what I mean. I just see racism, Nazis, and so on mentioned far too often on this board, and it is an extreme position to take. While that might have been a reference to Greg – can’t tell exactly – it still once again seemed to start the whole subject going again.
In any event, what purpose does it serve to keep going on about racism? It isn’t going to result in any solution to the problem, that’s for sure. Unless you are going to march all the racists in the county out of the county, or some such thing. So I’m just baffled by these continuing references to racism, Nazis, and so on – as I don’t see any of that as particularly helpful. Again, I’m not defending certain people, but it just seems to be beating a dead horse on the whole racism/Nazis/Holocaust discussion. I just think some people have been unfairly labeled as racists (and by some people I’m not referring to Greg) on this board. Anyway, I’ve said what I wanted to say on this, and at this point am just repeating what I’ve said in the past on that whole issue.
anon,
I agree about beating the “dead horse” and it is like a sequel to a horror movie that ends up humorous after the 13th chapter and then dumb as hell. ( Friday the 13th or more creative Alien vs. Predator)
I do not think that all of the people here are racist and just like the Frick’n sign on Liberty is trying to suggest!
Honestly, I am sick of and HAVE been at the suggestion of such.
Let’s see what people would do if we take the word ” racism” out of play AND for a CHALLENGE, the argument of the ” rule of law”
The reason why I challenge suggest this is because as LAW changes, so does RACISM.
The question is what are we fighting for?
Red Dawn – sounds good to me – I agree wholeheartedly!