Me-Tooism on Un- Affordable Housing

It's generally known that the state doesn't do great getting involved in the private sector. This is especially true when the state tries to get involved in housing and the construction and finance thereof. While New Jersey is an expensive place to live, the state subsidizing housing will only raise taxes, devalue more communities, and promote mediocrity.  As many statewide Democratic officials continue to see no problem with housing subsidization, the only check on an irresponsible and costly expansion of state affordable housing is the sizable Republican minority in both Houses of the Legislature.

(Currently, the GOP holds 40% of Assembly seats and 43% of Senate seats. That gives NJ more Republicans in office than the federal branch and many other states. Republicans also gained two Assembly seats in 2007.)

The problem is that Republicans take the stand of modifying the state's troubled "Affordable Housing Plan" rather than having the faith in the free market to end it! Case in point is Assemblyman Scott Rumana. Rumana represents a swath of  northeast New Jersey centered around the sprawling suburb of Wayne. In his district, the 40th, Republicans outnumber Democrats by nearly 10,000 voters and every Republican candidate in recent memory has won the district easily. Despite the robust Democratic parties in all three counties, the nation and state's majority party put up a mere third of the vote in the 40th in the 2007 Assembly elections.

Yet Rumana acts as though he represents a district including Newark and Jersey City. He has sponsored two bills in the Assembly creating new roles for the dreary Council on Affordable Housing. Rumana sponsored bill A3246, where the state would assist municipalities in buying foreclosed properties to meet the utterly absurd Council on Affordable Housing mandates. So its better to get the state into the unprofitable business of buying houses for those who cannot afford them to begin with???

Rumana, with the other liberal 40th District Assemblyman David Russo, sponsored A2888, which would give those in flood zones preference in Council on Affordable Housing obligations. Isn't it crazy when we are dictating who should be on line in the Housing Program rather than just getting rid of it?

Note neither of these bills have gotten anywhere in the Assembly. In fact, none of Rumana's bills have. 

The Council on Affordable Housing, and District 40's liberal, ineffectual Assembly members need to be retired before New Jersey moves into a new decade.