Mass. Lt. Gov. (R) tells Senior citizens: "Move out of your houses!"

[Bluebear]

Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey interrupted a vacation to answer some tough questions about comments made about senior housing.

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that Healey came under fire after suggesting that senior citizens were contributing to the state's housing crunch by staying in suburban homes instead of moving to cities or town centers.

In an interview with the Statehouse News Service published Monday, Healy said: "My opinion is that to extend tax breaks to seniors in order to keep them overhoused and isolated in the suburbs is not necessarily the right answer ... they're probably aging in homes that are too expensive or difficult for them to maintain and where the property taxes are larger than their fixed incomes. Plus, they may have three or four bedrooms and only be using one of them. There are families that need that housing."

On Tuesday, Healey would not directly address the quote or its accuracy.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20050323/lo_WCVB/2638853

[latteromden]

1. They should live in big cities where they'll get mugged and robbed.

:wtf:

[Southsideirish]

5. I live in a big city - never mugged or robbed (except bikes).

[latteromden]

10. Neither have I. But the exaggeration made a point. ;)

[XanaDUer]

2. "There are families that need that housing."

Sounds like communism to me!

[Ms. Clio]

25. LOL--beat me to it--that was exactly my first thought, too n/t

[XanaDUer]

33. Yes, the redistribution of wealth

Godless commie pinko Republicans!

[Ms. Clio]

34. "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs"

Marx would agree!

[JanMichael]

37. Yep, it sure as shit did have that sort of ring to it.

Now I wonder what would happen if a Dem uttered that same sentiment?

[XanaDUer]

39. Oh, let's see...

Freeper heads would explode...

Rush Limbaugh would bloviate over it for a week...

And Bill O'Reilly would drone on about how this is typical Dem share-the-wealth commie pinko propaganda...

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Soylent Green, here we come.....

How big is the house that Poppy and Babs live in, just the two of them?

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. Soylent Green. My FIRST thought.

:grr:

[Tansy_Gold]

24. Or Logan's Run

Either way, it's government intrusion on what has been a fundamentally private and personal decision.

[shadowknows69]

27. I think it will be Logan's Run

with a side order of Soylent Green. Gotta feed all those yong folks something.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. I'm surprised she didn't ask them to hurry up and die already!

:grr:

[Squeech]

16. It's been done

Former governor of Colorado, distinctly Repuke. Think his name was Lamm.

But this Healey creature is the embarrassment of my own home state. :cry:

[lukasahero]

21. Give her time

She's not the brightest star in our fair state.

[demnan]

6. You know

She'll get hell for this, but she's right. My mother lives in such a house. She has stay at home mooching sons so the bedrooms are occupied. She would be much better off not worrying about her yard and the upkeep on her home by buying a smaller condo and taking some money out and investing it well for perhaps a medical problem. She feels isolated now in the suburbs. Longevity runs in her family so at 83 she might possibly live another 10 or more years.

She really would do this if it weren't for her sons. I think she would move into a condo closer to me, so I could look in on her every day.

My Mom would have maybe looked into getting a senior condo in Woodbridge or other Northern Va. communities if they had been affordable. But you have to remember that these folks bought their $350K homes when they were $24K.

[mongo]

12. You may be right about your mom

But do you think that an elderly person on SS should be forced out of a home that they baught and paid for through many, many years of hard work - because they cannot pay excessive property taxes?

There are tax breaks all over America for low-income seniors who choose to stay in their homes. I don't think we should be forcing them out into state sponsered senior housing if that is not their wish.

[Bluebear]

17. It may be a good choice for some

But to move because you can't afford the taxes on your 'fixed income' is a shame. Imagine the emotional attachment a widow might have for a house she shared with her husband, raised children in... and to be told that "families need that house" so get out. This is not government's role.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

20. Many people work their entire life to pay off their home for retirement.

I can't count the number of times I had elderly people tell me they plan to live in this house until they die. Then they go on to tell me about their children and grandchildren's history in the home. Who is she to say their lifetime dream is wrong?

[tsuki]

29. The older my mother becomes, the more she wants to remain

in the house with all things familiar about her. She never moves furniture, nor do any of my aunts who are older than she. It is part of aging.

If, or when, she wants to downsize, I'll help her. Until then, I don't want some GOP *clown saying she has no right to her home.

[XanaDUer]

38. That should be your mom's choice

Not some hypocrite from the GOP. Imagine if a Dem said this?

[mongo]

7. "overhoused"?

Who died and appointed her overlord?

[katinmn]

35. overhoused and isolated

since they're isolated, she wants to bring them into the inner city so they'll have more company.

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. OMG that is outrageous!

Now the Government will dictate how big your house can be? I HATE REPUBLICANS! I HATE REPUBLICANS! I HATE REPUBLICANS! I HATE REPUBLICANS! :nuke::grr::nuke::nuke:

[Southsideirish]

11. Actually she has a point. I know many "empty nesters" who live in the

burbs who have very big houses and they are too much for them to keep up. They usually have to bribe the grandkids to come over and rake, shovel, etc. for them. Also, they still have to drive everywhere - church, store, Dr. and the ones I know are getting up to that mid 70 - late 70's range when driving gets to be a little dicey for them so their kids are going to have to start driving them to their appointments. They would have much more freedom if they moved back into the city. They could walk to many activities or take a cab or the bus to ones further away. I'm trying to convince my brother and his wife to leave their 4 bedroom house where they are prisoners to their cars and move into the city where they would definitely get more walking exercise and stimulation.

[seabeyond]

14. people have grown old in their family homes forever

now someone is telling them how to live and what choices to make. fuck that shit

[mitchtv]

30. I am close to that

But I find it hard to leave my 2k sq. ft house/pool and garden
and move into a half size condo and owe money. It is unwise to move now, at least in Socal. As far as I know there's no dearth of senior housing .

[katinmn]

36. Shouldn't people be able to live where they want?

[fob]

41. Only in America, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave...

Where are we again?

[seabeyond]

13. my mouth is hanging open, maybe bush 1 will be the first

too give up all his space. barbara and he really need only a one bedroom apartment

[Der Engel der Katzen]

15. If that quote is true, that woman has a lot of answering to do.

"Overhoused?"

"There are families that need that housing." No, there are families that need housing. Not that housing.

Give me a break.

What's that web site that'll investigate the accuracy of a quote?

[Bluebear]

19. Wilkommen Engel.

The source is WVCB-TV in Boston so it sounds pretty accurate. Plus the poor Lt. Gov. had to "interrupt her vacation" to answer to the quote!

[Der Engel der Katzen]

22. Danke, Bluebear

Poor Lt Gov! Wah.

[msmcghee]

18. She's objecting to extending tax breaks . .

. . that encourage older people to make poor decisions for themselves and their families.

Reading some of the comments in this thread I think this could be a sensible statement. We built our culture around the automobile. There are many ways we will have to pay for that decision. This is just one of the problems we've created for ourselves. Let's figure out a way to correct it and learn from it.

[Tracer]

23. I live in a town that has addressed this problem.

There was an item on our Town Meeting agenda last year regarding Senior Tax breaks. It was very poorly constructed (all seniors over the age of 60 would have their taxes halved!). It passed.

An objection was raised and there was another Special Town Meeting to vote again on this issue. It passed AGAIN.

Of course, nothing could be done by the town alone, and the measure was passed along to Beacon Hill where it languishes today, although there have been some reps who plan to bring up some legislation to address it.

It's a very complex issue and (at least in my town) has pitted the younger people against the older people.

In my opinion, if a senior WANTS to sell their house and move, they should. If a senior is FORCED to sell because they can't afford the property taxes, they shouldn't have to. But that's really what it comes down to. Most seniors moved to my town when it was a sleepy rural town. It became so McPalaced (a big step up from a McMansion) that the taxes here are absolutely incredible. I pay close to $6,000 per year (on a $25,000 income) that being FORCED out is getting closer and closer every day.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

31. It was a HUGE issue in Cambridge too

Cambridge has excellent elder services, so of course many want to stay in the same house where they've lived for 50 years.

But those same multi-family homes that they bought for $10,000 in 1958 are now worth over $1 million. Our property taxes go up every year, though the city of Cambridge is very well-managed and ALWAYS has a surplus.

[tsuki]

26. The "ownership society" until you have something we want.

[salin]

28. Thats one way to make you real popular - and have chances to

climb the elected political ladder.... NOT!

[nonconformist]

32. Overhoused?

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of people living in 5k square foot McMansions aren't elderly - they're they're young to middle-aged upper middle class. But let's tell granny who wants to stay in the medium size ranch house that she and her late husband built together in the 50's that she should move.

To play Devil's Advocate, she has somewhat of a point. But these are personal decisions that we shouldn't be making for people. Besides, it's clear that the concern isn't about how granny will mow her lawn, it's about if granny can pay her property taxes without a tax break. Money, money money.

[XanaDUer]

40. She is correct that affordable housing is a crisis

I re-read the article. Still, since she is GOP (grab our property?), something tells me she may want the land underneath the houses.

I will be shocked if she would put up low-income housing on the lots that the elders' houses use to stand on.

[NashVegas]

43. Making Granny Move Out Isn't Going to Solve It

Discouraging real estate speculation is a better long term solution.

It doesn't matter if Grandma moves into the senior citizens' center or not: if she moves out, the house is going to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the average person can afford, anyway.

[XanaDUer]

45. Exactly.

Which is what leads me to believe this is the usual pissing-on-your-leg-and-telling-you-it's-raining GOP strategy to steal something from average people.

[KamaAina]

42. Keep your filthy Mitts off their houses!

Get it? Mitts? Mitt is her boss? That's a funny joke! Or it would be if they weren't serious :grr:

[Judi Lynn]

44. Welll, well, well. They're getting a little imperious, aren't they?

Maybe it would be better if we all moved out of our houses into open fields and lived in tents, while they decided where they wanted everyone to live, reserving, of COURSE, all the pomp and circumstance and entitlements befitting REPUBLICAN men and women OF GAWD.

It would surely save everyone a lot of trouble. They're never going to shut the ~bleep~ up as long there's even one item which doesn't seem blissful to them.

Older men and women who live in large homes often arrange to have people helping them in their later days and it surely takes a hell of a lot of pressure off the nursing homes and hospitals.

She can thank her fellow Republicans for the hard swing to utter, meaningless materialism, and the nose dive into pursuing material wealth at the expense of life itself. It's their "thing."