Hope we don’t need matching funds!

Got this the other day from the fine folks who run my county government.

County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr. announced (Tuesday) that the county has received $407,928 in grant monies from the Neighborhood Conservation Initiative. The funds are for buyers of foreclosed properties to make down payments, cover closing costs and perform necessary repairs.

(snip)

Mr. Pollitt also announced that the county has received $256,775 in grant funds from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD). Mr. Pollitt explained that, “These funds will assist in rehabilitating housing for low and moderate income families and to also make renovations to the building owned and operated by the Maryland Food Bank.”

Obviously the state is swimming in money to grant Wicomico County this kind of funding, right? Well, it’s not all the state’s doing.

I looked up the “Neighborhood Conservation Initiative” and found that the grant money is going to come with just a few strings attached. One just can’t walk in and be eligible for the grant which, by the way, is also passed through the same Department of Housing and Community Development that’s handling the second grant.

The biggest concern I have with the program is that perhaps it’s placing recipients into the same situation which ran the foreclosure rate up in the first place, convincing them they can afford a larger house than is prudent. If you’re making just above poverty level wages at a job the chances are pretty good that you’re not skilled labor and aren’t going to have a lot of job security. Personally I don’t see this as the wisest use of tax dollars because I don’t agree with such targeting to a population segment that needs the incentive to depend less on government handouts, not depend more on them.

I’m also curious to know why the Maryland Food Bank needs taxpayers to fund their building renovation when there are a long list of private-sector entities which fund its parent organization, Feeding America. No doubt the Maryland Food Bank needs to upgrade its facilities because of these dire economic straits (if you ask me, brought about by poor government decisions on economic policy over the last three years or so) but once again, placing them on the hook of the taxpayer sets (or continues) a poor precedent.

It’s my belief that government can do some things well, but charity is not one of them. Obviously Wicomico County is under the illusion that if they didn’t grab the grant money someone else would, but just because the money is there doesn’t mean it needs to be spent – particularly when government at all levels struggles to live within some sort of means without bankrupting the producers of our nation. It’s a battle that isn’t being fought well and few have suggested starving the beast.

I think it’s time to listen to those who do, though.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer. View all posts by Michael