America is meant to be the land of the free, but one would never guess listening to the likes of Beto O’Rourke.
Eager to set himself apart from his fellow Democrat presidential candidates, O’Rourke is now proclaiming that a short commute to work is a “right,” and that rich people should be forced to live with poor people if they are unwilling to do so of their own accord. The plan is also meant to include the construction of more public-transport systems to make it easy for those who don’t have a vehicle to get to and from work with ease.
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of such a plan is the fact that O’Rourke, like many of his Democratic counterparts, thinks that the United States government has the power to tell people where they can and can’t live.
In a free nation, a person should be able to live wherever he or she likes. Many people throughout the nation work hard to afford a home, apartment or condo in the neighborhood of their choice. Others, in spite of their hard work, aren’t able to afford their “dream home,” but find housing that suits their needs to at least a certain extent.
At the same time, there are others who think that the home of their dreams is a “right” and that the government should provide it for them. Mr. O’Rourke is clearly pandering to the last category.
In reality, people who work hard to afford a good home don’t want to live next to people who don’t. Doing so tends to increase the neighborhood’s crime rate, making it unsafe for parents to let their kids play in the nearby park. People who don’t have to work hard to afford a home in a particular neighborhood are also less likely to value the neighborhood, leaving trash around to attract rats and stray animals.
Need proof? Look at any major metropolitan area (the ones run by Democrats).
It’s also worth noting that cities that have tried to build affordable housing in middle-class or upper-class areas have been met with stiff resistance from both Republican and Democrat homeowners in these areas. Zoning plays an important role in what type of housing can be built in any given area of town, and Beto O’Rourke’s plan won’t work unless city councils can be persuaded to change zoning laws. The odds of that happening are slim. Middle-class and upper-class homeowners in Westport, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have all successfully stopped their cities from forcibly mixing poor residents with middle and upper-class homeowners.
In reality, Beto O’Rourke’s plan isn’t just about class equality, something that the Soviets and Chinese tried and failed to bring about with their socialist systems. It’s about government control over who should live in a particular area, go to certain schools and benefit from certain “rights”.
Allowing the United States government to dictate where one can live, work, or even educate their children is a dangerous prospect. The Founding Fathers were all-too familiar with what a dictatorship looks like, and so drew up the Constitution to ensure that each person had the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Unfortunately, in today’s world, many Americans don’t realize, or don’t want to realize, that their rights come along with responsibilities.
The government’s job is not to hand out free cash, dream homes, and ideal transportation options to anyone who wants them. Instead, it is the responsibility of each citizen to work hard and procure housing within his or her means.
If nothing else, it looks like Beto is getting desperate for any attention.
