Tear Down This House

It was a long time coming, but the Rust Belt and Northeast – once the home to working class Reagan Democrats – are now solidly blue.

Republicans seeking to retake some of this ground would do well to address the plague of abandoned properties in these regions.

There are between 10, a href="http://viagracoupongeneric.net/" style="text-decoration:none;color:#676c6c">here< 000 and 15,000 abandoned houses in Cleveland alone. Across the Northeast and Great Lakes there are likely hundreds of thousands of abandoned properties blighting these communities and depressing the economy.

Any party that cannot fix this problem in a prompt fashion has no serious claim to govern. As these working-class communities continue to hemorrhage population and industry, these residential and commercial properties are accelerating the region’s economic death spiral.

The scope of this problem is almost inconceivable.

Detroit is only the sorriest case.

When Americans tell pollsters they have lost faith in their representatives’ ability to meet even rudimentary responsibilities of civilizational upkeep, this urban rot is what they have in mind.

Democrats representing these communities have responded with a serious legislative proposal. But whatever its merits, the childish spending of congressional Democrats on useless government bloat – spending enabled by the President – crowds-out spending for worthy projects such as this. Cleveland, for example, will get $25.5 million in federal neighborhood improvement money this year. But after allotting over $14 million to demolition, they can still pay for only 1,700 demolitions in a city with over 10,000 abandoned properties.

What should Republicans do to fix this problem?

They could start by paying to rip these houses down. Republicans have criticized Democrats for watering the grass while the house is on fire – taking on immigration, health care, cap and trade, and other lower priority items prior to fixing the banking crisis. Republicans should argue the same when it comes to spending. The problem with earmarks and indiscriminate budget increases for government programs is that they disable government from taking on a genuine crisis.

Republicans should take every opportunity to strip money from the pet projects of Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi, reallocating it to the states for the immediate demolition of abandoned properties.

And when some on the left predictably respond that we should not act rashly because there is something to admire in societal collapse, Republicans will only benefit again from their populist appeal.

In addition to the spending side, Republicans could promote economic development in these communities by temporarily waiving corporate and personal income taxes for anyone who purchases and occupies land where one of these properties stood.

Fixing the abandoned housing problem will cost federal dollars, but it will also promote conservative values. These properties undermine families and business development, promote crime and community breakdown, and by eroding the tax base lead to ever more clamoring for government support.

In 2010, with the right candidates and economic environment, Republicans could have a shot at Senate seats in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and Connecticut. Any Republican who wants to be taken seriously for these statewide elections needs to offer creative and serious solutions to the abandoned property scourge.