NY Mag- Ben Carson has demonstrated the ability to do two things at a world-class level: perform surgical operations, and run lucrative scams. By his own admission, he is patently unqualified to run a federal agency. Nonetheless, he has accepted the job as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, a policy field in which he has no experience or expertise. One might think that this background makes Carson uniquely unsuited for the role of HUD secretary. But from another, more cynical perspective, he is absolutely perfect for the job.
HUD is traditionally a magnet for scandal under Republican administrations, for two reasons. First, its mission of providing affordable housing for the urban poor is marginal, at best, to the core Republican agenda. (Jack Kemp, George H. W. Bush’s HUD secretary, is a rare exception of an activist Republican HUD secretary.) Second, the agency’s program structure lends itself naturally to profiteering. HUD works closely with private developers to build affordable housing. Without careful oversight, the agency can easily become a slush fund to distribute sweetheart contracts to the administration’s buddies.
Samuel Pierce, Ronald Reagan’s HUD secretary, turned the agency into a slush fund for cronies. Reagan’s HUD regularly handed out loans and grants on the basis of political contacts. Moderate Republican Representative Chris Shays denounced one pair of profiteers for running “a dirty, smelly, slimy business.” Ultimately, a slew of Reagan-era HUD officials were convicted, including three assistant secretaries, for such crimes as accepting illegal loans, obstructing justice, and illegal gratuities.
George W. Bush’s housing secretary, Alphonso Jackson, resigned in 2008 after a series of scandals. These included sweetheart deals and inflated salaries for his friends, threats against whistleblowers, instructing his staff to steer contracts to Bush supporters, and even stating publicly that he once denied an otherwise suitable contract because the bidder criticized Bush. “Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president?” said Jackson. “Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe.” Jackson faced investigations by HUD’s inspector general, the Department of Justice and the FBI, none of which resulted in a conviction.
There is an additional risk factor in Trump’s administration. The president is planning to continue to run his business empire in office, without disclosing his income. And so Carson, a man with no experience in government but extensive experience in the field of bilking, and a proven loyalist of Donald Trump, will apparently oversee an agency whose mission lends itself to corruption. If Trump’s priority was to ensure the most effective and efficient use of every housing dollar, Carson would make a very strange choice. But that may not be Trump’s priority at all.
It will be interesting over the next four years to see how these left-wing, knee-jerk talking heads handle a Republican administration that won’t sit back and take this sort of yellow journalism like all the others have in the past. I really hope the Trump gives full reign to his cabinet and any other of his appointees to respond tho lowlife such as Chait.
It’s been eight years since the left attacked a sitting president. I forgot Trump is not one of them so it’s attack time. Even before he is sworn in.
Alynski would be proud.
“…Without careful oversight, the agency can easily become a slush fund to distribute sweetheart contracts to the administration’s buddies…”
A libtard accusing a conservative of cronyism. I’m speechless. They wrote the book on how to do it.
Say hello to AlGore and the Chicago Climate Exchange (just for starters)
Lord save us from hypocritical idiots.
ANYTHING HEARD FROM NY MAG ON THE CLINTON FOUNDATION??
WHAT FANTASY WORLD ARE THESE DRUG-ADDLED, MANIACAL, POOPY-PANTS, PANTIES-IN-A-WAD FREAKS LIVING IN??
What? New York Magazine? Never heard of it or him.
No references to the Crony Clinton 8 years or the last 8 years of insider contracts for housing and community organizers through Valarie Jarret and Obama.
This dude must be careless, the FBI could not find “intent to misinform” by Jonathan Chait’s over-sight.
I think he is a communist, which would be a feather in his hat.
Projection and fill in the blank “isms” is all they got. Four, eight, to infinity in years of non-democrats in office will bring out the ‘best’ of the shrieking & crying in the MSM and the like…. effing losers.
Riiiiight, because Trump just survived a vicious, brutal campaign, loss of business contracts from various companies, signage ripped from his buildings, and will be skewered by the press for at least the next 4 years – because his dream to become a slum lord is within reach.
Personally, I’d like to see HUD cease to exist and I’d like to know if Jonathan Taint is concerned over HRC/CGI and selling our uranium to Putin.
@Engleburka – “…I’d like to know if Jonathan Taint is concerned over HRC/CGI and selling our uranium to Putin…”
Riiiiight. Hard to see that through Clinton rose (law firm) colored glasses.
But isn’t this the same website that, before the election, called anyone who questioned anything about Trump a cuckservative and a NeverTrumpster?
Funny how the left can ignore evidence about the Clintons that has been right in front of their noses for years, but they are all over something that MIGHT possibly happen in the future.
And they wonder why nobody believes them anymore.
Not a word about the Clintons making millions/billions from pay to play.
I guess that will be his next article.
Seems Ibrememder ValJar was a slum lord in Chicago, having ownership interests in low income housing. Hence the interest in the Olympics. She and her partners could have sold out the sites for an Olympic venue and cashed out. Talk about cronyism.
Geeknerd,
Find one instance of me calling anyone a cuckservative, or even using the word. If you cannot, I demand an apology. If you don’t apologize you will be banned. I’m not going to be characterized as something I’m not.
Here’s a global search of the site and the term cuckservative –
https://iotwreport.com/?s=cuckservative
Here’s one article PRIOR to the election that pulls up the term cuckservative-
https://iotwreport.com/cuckservative-a-slur-used-by-conservatives-towards-conservatives-what-it-means-isnt-clear/
Here’s ONE article after the election-
https://iotwreport.com/ive-never-used-the-word-cuck-before-to-describe-anyone-i-really-dont-like-the-word-glenn-beck-is-a-cuck/
So, you really have no idea wtf you are talking about.
And the only people I called a “NeverTrumpster” (never used that expression either – I always used “NeverTrump”, never bastardizing Trump’s name, which you are still doing) are people who identified themselves as “NeverTrump.”
I always said, “if the shoe fits, wear it.”
If it didn’t, what were you worried about?
To be fair to Chait, he was on record saying the Clinton Foundation was crooked.
But does he think that gives him a free pass to say that Trump WILL BE crooked, because he criticized the Clintons?
No.
That’s not journalism.
So I guess he’s just a racist. What else is left?