Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to the editor of the Baltimore Sun, April 17, 1996

R,sou,as- Congress of tfjc ©iiitcb States $ouSc of ficprcscntatibcs ©BJagfjtngton, ЗЭС 20515-2002 April 17, 1996 Editorial Page Editor, The Baltimore Sun 501 N. Calvert Street Baltimore, Maryland 21278 Passdena. MO 21122 Dear The purpose of this letter is to correct The Sun's recent mischaracterization of my opposition to the Baltimore City/ACLU public housing lawsuit and consent decree. Nearly two weeks ago, HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and Mayor Kurt Schmoke, defendants in a housing discrimination suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, gleefully announced their secretly negotiated proposal for settling the case. Normally, defendants in such lawsuits are not so overjoyed, but in this case, the ACLU and the Baltimore City have been working together from the outset to craft a plan which, if approved, will compel black public housing residents to relocate to overwhelmingly white suburban neighborhoods. The terms of this settlement reflect HUD’s modus operandi in cities across the country. President Clinton’s HUD has taken advantage of alleged claims of discrimination by negotiating similar consent decrees which create constitutionally-suspect “mobility programs.” The political agenda reflected by this settlement has been denounced soundly by my constituents and in the halls of Congress. In order to shield itself from public opinion and accountability, however, HUD has now turned to the courts. This particular settlement will be costly. Already, Secretary Cisneros has committed $300 million in federal funds (three times the total spent on the city’s Empowerment Zone), and Governor Glendening and the Mayor have committed millions more. The more tragic costs, however, will be felt by thousands of suburban Marylanders. Already, at-risk suburban neighborhoods are facing increasing crime, decreasing property values, and a general degradation in their standard of living and quality of life. Additional burdens on these struggling areas only threaten established, aging neighborhoods. The Sun would have its readers believe there is no philosophical basis for opposing the ACLU/HUD inspired lawsuit. I disagree. Rather than providing unique housing assistance to people solely based on skin color, we ought to guarantee access to self-improvement opportunities and equality under the law. Instead of focusing on individual empowerment, this settlement makes homes in middle-class areas an entitlement for a privileged few. Such a taxpayer-provided gift does not instill the values necessary to prosper in our society. The most important value, hard work and its rewards, is typically learned — not awarded by a government program dedicated to the notion that everyone is entitled to a house in any neighborhood, regardless of one’s income or work ethic. The proponents of this proposal, unable to provide a philosophical or practical defense for their plan,