Zombie houses from zombie capitalism

Thoughts on the October 15, 2015 article in the Buffalo News. Page 1. 

"Report tallies the costs of zombie homes n WNY."

It's about abandoned houses. Houses in foreclosure. In the rich suburbs. Dragging down property values and making the neighborhood look “bad.” Zombie houses eating up a good neighbourhood.  Orchard Park going down the drain.

Very little about abandoned houses in the city where a majority of the African American, Latino(a), Asian, and Middle Eastern people live. Or poor whites. Or anything about absentee landlords.

And the usual litany from the banks. “It's not the banks' fault,” “The process takes too long,” and so on.

There's a sentence or two on the sub-prime crisis. Banks loaning money to people that they knew the people would never be able to pay back. Nothing about the banks using churches to lure African Americans into bad loans. Nothing about how the houses were over-valued to begin with.

We all know that – but nobody wants to talk about it though.

Then there's the other side of capitalism: If you work hard enough & long enough you'll be able to enjoy the “good life.” 

Who believes that any more? 

In this economy? 

With what unemployment rate? 

Not the official one – the unofficial one. 

The one that counts the people that have given up on looking for work. 

The one that counts the people that are working below their degree (education level)? 

The one that counts people working 2, 3, or more jobs to make ends meet?

And the taxpayers are being stiffed $77,500 a year to take care of the properties.

So, what should be done?

As long as we're paying those taxes, let's use the houses. Bring in Habitat for Humanity and the various vocational schools & fix the houses up. Then, as Utah showed so well, move the homeless into them. They showed that it cost less to house the homeless in homes & apartments than to leave them on the streets or jail them. And since they were living in the houses, their condition (physical, mental, and emotional health) improved and some of them became productive members of society,

If a house is too far gone, tear it down & turn it into an urban garden. Let the community work it and harvest healthy and affordable food from it,  rather than buying junk food or food trucked in from who knows where.  Good organic gardening. People eating healthier foods will help improve their physical health (not to mention the mental health benefits from gardening).

And we give the bill to the banks that created the crisis in the first place.

Shaming the banks with signs on the lawns of the zombie houses won't change anything.

And it's not about zombie houses - It's about zombie capitalism.  Destroying everything of value in its pursuit of higher profits.

Get it right.