Thanks to board member Jeanne Licausi, and Darlene Margeta of the Senior Arts and Crafts the annual Mother's Day luncheon was a huge success. Over 65 residents were in attendance and enjoyed a smorgasbord that included grilled chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, kielbasa, pierogis, pizza, and desert. The tables were brightly decorated, and included hand made flowers crafted by the members of the Senior Arts and Crafts. A special thanks to all the volunteers who made this possible, and remember to check the bulletin board for upcoming events.
Immorality versus legality versus getting away with it. Nowadays I often equate legality with morality because I am just too tired to argue the difference. But in the case of subsidized housing or housing by lottery or government waitlist, I have to put in my two cents.
ReplyDelete1. Succession rights with Mitchell Lama coops to adult children or to anyone other than a spouse is immoral in my book. It is a way around the lottery and waitlist. It is a way around making the community diverse and equal. Your family does not deserve the apartment in perpetuity. But that is the way it works in reality. Also, it is also more immoral to simply put your name on an affidavit of an elderly relative the last couple of years of their life to gain succession rights than to actually live in the apartment during those last couple of years. I know of people in ML apartments who have their kids and/or grandkids visit once a month. That should not count as living in the apartment!!! And according to my ML coop it does not count but they try it and I guess it might work for some people, I don't know, I have not been around long enough to see the original occupants pass away.
2. Is it immoral that a person who does not meet current family requirements keep their large apartment? Yes, but that person needs to be compensated for being moved to a smaller apartment. That person is taking away space that an addition person could use in the ML project. It really adds up. There are probably a hundred or so additional people that could live in VV if those that live single in a 2 bedroom were to be moved to a one bedroom. Even if it is 50 or 25 additional people, it is worth it. The city should pay the person being downsized a one time fee of $100,000. There has to be compensation.
3. Parking. The parking fees need to be at least $250 a month for small cars and $300 for big cars. I see in some ML coops that parking is only $100 per month and there is a big waiting list. No, this is a housing project, not a parking subsidy.
4. Your cousin in Southbridge is now off ML. So there is no longer a moral dilemma.
5. You are lucky to have been able to have had a job opportunity that allowed you to retire at 53. It is more a matter of luck than morality. If you are able to spread a little of your monetary good fortune to others, then do so. Not taking you retirement benefits would probably mean that someone else would spend those retirement assets that were coming to you. Would they spend them any better than you? You were lucky to have been born at a time where a good middle class job with retirement benefits were available and where middle class housing programs were available and where decent public education was available. Something that was more luck than a moral dilemma. Should you give up your apartment to someone else now? Did you have your fair share of subsidized housing? Why do you deserve it more than the next guy? The answer is you probably don't, but it is legal and it is the most fair it is going to be. If you give it away, that person it probably going to hold onto it forever.
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