The Middle Class is Losing. Again.

Mark Winston Griffith

The Middle Class is Losing. Again.

As if anyone needed to be reminded how hostile Manhattan has become to the notion of affordable housing, the housing world shook with the news that Met Life was putting a big "for sale" sign on Stuyvesant Houses and Peter Cooper Village, one of the last areas in Manhattan that accommodates middle class living below 110th Street. For generations now, civil servants and rent stabilized renters have been roaming those housing complexes freely, like an endangered species on a game reserve. But now the poachers are peeking over the front gate. Although no one knows who is going to pick up the 4 to 5 billion price tag, it's clear that whoever it is will, over time, almost certainly convert much of this real estate into more "market" or luxury housing.

So much for the Mayor's affordable housing plans.

Place this next to what recent census figures revealed about incomes in New York. As reported by the New York Times on August 30th, "...New York is the only state in which both the median household income and the poverty rate surpassed the national average last year, an anomaly that suggested growing inequality in some categories and reflected vast disparities within the metropolitan area itself. Once again, Manhattan recorded the biggest income gap of any county in the country, although the chasm narrowed slightly since 2000. The top fifth of earners reported making $330,244 -- about 41 times more than the $8,019 of the bottom fifth."

So much for the Mayor's fight against poverty.

With each passing day, it becomes overwhelming clear that class warfare is being waged, but the rich guys seem to be the only ones with their dukes up. It's time for the working and middle classes to start pushing back.

Mark Winston Griffith: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 11:44 AM, Sep 01, 2006 in
Permalink | Email to Friend | Comments (3)

Comments

I was just thinking about the irony of how luxury priced apartments are called "market rate". It implies that there is no market for middle income apartments which as we all know is not true. Lux apartments are staying on the market longer these days because there are only so many rich people looking to fill them. Meanwhile NYCHA is stockpiling apartments. Bad news.

In the long run these rich developers better start asking themselves where the hell they expect their secretaries to live. And that answer better not be in the extra guest bedroom in their new DUMBO waterfront duplex.

In New York we have a problem that luxury housing seems to get priority. We are creating more eminent domain zones city wide, to justify the loss of middle and lower class housing.Everyone cant be real estate sharks.

Ann writes:

They are called "Market Rate" because the landlord can charge "what the market will bear" in true capitalist fashion. This creates a "Darwinist", "Survival of The Fittest" scenerio. This approach may work with commerce but with "Affordable Housing, multiple dwelling based real estate has to be treated as a public trust.

With the demise of Mitchell/Lama, the only remedy for middle class survival is:

1.) Repeal Urstadt and restore Rent regulation to NYC control.

2.) Once Rent regulation is placed in NYC hands, roll-back rent laws to pre- 1994 conditions.

3.) Strap the 80/20 program and require all new construction seeking 421 or J51 tax subsidies to institute the much fairer 20/30/50 programs.

4.) Require all developers to institute Inclusionary Zoning based upon the Medium Area Income level(MAI)in the Community Board that the construction is taking place in.

This is just in housing. On the commerce arena NYC, NYS and the country in general has got to abandon our reliance upon "The Service Economy" and embrace manufacturing again. The US used to be known for "Yankee Ingenuity". We must bring this back again.

We also must once again become "The Breadbasket of the world. By running away from unionization and embracing the concepts of globalization the rich is just getting richer, the poor is getting poorer and the middle class is getting phased out completely.

The ruling class is too greedy. While I am not advocating Communism a little socialization is a good thing.

I don't mind people making as much as they can make as long as common people can get the basics, food, clothing, shelter, education, healthcare, decent transportation, adequate leisire capability.

It doen't have to be an either-or proposion. It is possible if only we as a society can summon up the political, social and economic will. In NYC we can start by opening up "Industrial Zones" like our grand parents used to have in the 40's and 50's.

Let Manhattan be the "Service Sector". Let Brooklyn, Queens The Bronx and Staten Island open up for the manufacturing and tech industries. Why should we give it away to Brazil, India and China?