I know of at least one speculator that owns 14 condos. Most of them sit empty. I know of several people that own a large home, a condo in Florida or Chicago and a lake home in Northern Minnesota. Of course these dwellings sit empty most of the year. I know of several landlords and real estate speculators that own several buildings and many of their units sit empty. They buy up aff ordable housing and turn it into unaffordable housing. Its one thing to speculate with stocks and bonds but its quite another thing to speculate with homes if it drives people with children out onto the street. Meanwhile politicians are promising to build more affordable housing. Will it really provide housing for the homeless? Will it provide housing for the working poor? Wouldn't it be a better idea to somehow try to use what we have more efficiently? I'll be shot down for this idea from every landlord and real estate speculator but shouldn't we look to ways of increasing or imposing a bigger tax on properties that are "flipped"?... . properties that make a quick 50 or 100 thousand dollars for the speculator and wildly drive up the cost of housing? Building more housing and creating more totally unnecessary jobs will only bring us more pollution and greenhouse gases in this environment and the so called "Green" candidates that advocate more jobs instead of shorter work weeks and longer vacations (as they have in Europe) is the wrong approach and is brown not green. They are like the evangelistic salvation hucksters promising to deliver something they cannot possibly produce. More totally unnecessary transurvival jobs are the last thing we need in these global warming end times. Still advocating vegetarian meals in our prisons, solar energy on our sound barriers, local solutions and high tech and low tech solutions to our world environmental crisis in Kingfield. Sincerely, Don Johnson, Candidate for Mayor, 3808 Grand Ave So. Minneapolis, MN 55409 (612) 824 1111 _www.DonJohnsonMayor.org_ (http://www.donjohnsonmayor.org/) REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
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