Most Americans are familiar with zoning laws enacted by their local governments to segregate property uses thought to be incompatible, preserve the character of existing communities when new developments occur, and protect property values. These laws can affect the type of improvements property owners can make to their property, which some consider these restrictions as violations of property rights. If Obama and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have their way, the federal government will strip local governments of their zoning power in order to “bring affordable housing to communities where it is lacking.”

According to the Daily Caller:

The Fair Housing Act was originally passed to prevent people from being discriminated against as they seek to purchase or rent a new home. Some believe though that this law has not been effective enough.

“Having this new regulation will spell things out more clearly so jurisdictions will know what they are supposed to do to fulfill their affirmatively furthering housing obligations,” Debby Goldberg, a special project director at the National Fair Housing Alliance told The Daily Caller Thursday.

According to Goldberg, HUD has learned a great deal over the last 40 years under the Fair Housing Act about “the benefits of diversity and inclusive communities.” She claimed that more diverse and inclusive regions experience more “robust economics, businesses do better when their workforce and customer base are more diverse, kids do better in school when their classmates are a more diverse bunch.”

In other words, “America, you have not done a good enough job of creating diverse and inclusive communities so we are going to do it for you by eradicating zoning powers of the local government in order to erect affordable housing, aka low income housing, in communities with good attributes, aka more wealthy areas.”

HUD will be giving communities “data” that includes “concentrated areas poverty, and patterns of segregation.”

“From these data, program participants will evaluate their present environment to address fair housing issues, identify the primary determinants that account for those issues, and set forth fair housing priorities and goals.”

This has led some to believe it will strip local communities of their zoning powers through withholding of important funds.

Here is another example of an unconstitutional agency and Obama exercising over-reach for some ideology on what all American communities are supposed to look like. Typically, Americans choose where to live based on many factors. It’s called freedom. That is not appropriate according to the boy emperor. Therefore, neighborhoods now will be a cacophony of varied housing in order to produce “diverse and inclusive” neighborhoods, if he and HUD have any say about it. Aren’t neighborhoods diverse and inclusive if you can afford the cost of the housing to live there?

This is the epitome of “social engineering.”

The potential for stripping local communities of their zoning powers led Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) to “attach, and pass through the House an amendment on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2015, which will prohibit HUD from implementing its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule.”

In speaking with the Daily Caller, Rep. Gosar’s press secretary, Steven Smith stated, “It can definitely affect housing prices; it can absolutely be detrimental for a lot of communities, where they know what’s best for them. They know how to make the best decisions.”

Obama and his ilk do not believe that. In their eyes, no community or American citizen knows “what’s best for them” and need the government to direct their every move.

Another issue Smith identifies is a potential “gerrymandering” of districts. He states, “This will definitely be pushing communities to resemble like urban areas, where Democrats typically have more political support.”

Hans von Spakovsky sees this more as an abuse of federal power that could hasten the decay of poor urban neighborhoods by funneling the money normally distributed by HUD to poorer neighborhoods to improve housing into wealthier neighborhoods. He indicates this runs contrary to the entire purpose of the Fair Housing Act.

“The law itself says, ‘the preference should be for placing money into poor neighborhoods because that is where they need federal money to improve housing.'”

This “new provision” follows along the “disparate impact theory,” which is before the Supreme Court because of a case in Texas. “The plaintiffs believe that the Texas State Housing Authority practiced segregation by only placing funds for affordable housing in poorer neighborhoods.” Is that not what the law is supposed to do?

According to Spakovsky, the Fair Housing Act “prohibits intentional discrimination” and can’t be used under the “disparate impact theory.” He is confident the Supreme Court will see it that way also. Of course, the theory is the Obama administration is hurriedly pushing this through in anticipation of an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling and before more people become aware of the provision.

Smith believes this to be the strategy of HUD and Obama, since “most people will be outraged to find out that the federal government is trying to strip away local authority to their own communities.”

While Gosar is confident Senate Republicans will prioritize his amendment to be “included in the Senate version of the appropriations bill,” many Americans will doubt Republicans will stand in support of local communities to enact and administer their own zoning laws and appropriations of funds. Looking at the behavior of Republicans recently, those doubts are well founded. As the time of this administration ticks by, Americans lose more and more freedom and choice. Where does it stop?

There were a few comments to the source article at The Daily Caller that pretty much sums all of this up in a nutshell.

SilaSez wrote, “Isn’t it a bit ironic that after pouring billions of dollars into poor communities that we still have poor communities? While the intentions of the Fair Housing Act is honorable, this just shows how ineffectual government programs are … they feel good, but in reality are no good….”

PR_Ohio described his experience with this type of “disparate impact” in two posts.

I’ve lived in a neighborhood where this very thing happened, and this is exactly what is destroying every major city in the country. They move loser welfare parasites and their ghettobanger offspring into nice communities and all they do is drag everything down and turn them into the ghettos just like the ones they were transplanted from.

Good, responsible, hard-working homeowners flee into nearby suburbs and rural communities to escape the racism, crime and drugs this ilk infests their communities with. The typical Democrat voting base only consume and destroy. They don’t build, they only tear down what others have spent their lives building. Before long all you have are decrepit crack house [sic] and boarded up businesses. Then they blame everyone else for their problems and the condition of their communities. But hey, they never have to worry about ever electing another Republican mayor in most large American cities anymore.

Once Obama gets his way, there will be no place left for decent, responsible people who want safe communities and schools to raise their families to flee.

Welcome to the Fundamental Transformation of America.

And here is more truth. My black friends and neighbors moved out before I did. They knew exactly what was going to happen as soon as the first section 8 and low rent housing went in, and they told me to get out as soon as I could.

What are your thoughts?