Carte Blanche: The Washington Legislature, HB2266, and forced government housing

Vladimir Kudinov

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive."

— C.S. Lewis.

It has become so wholly accepted by politicians and bureaucrats alike that there is no good to be found in this world unless it comes from government. Every issue, every difficulty must be addressed by them, and money, resources, and manpower must be allocated according to a formula they have devised that must be kept from the public at all costs. If the problem isn’t fixed, it's because the people are resisting bitter medicine, but medicine nonetheless, and the efforts must be redoubled. The inherent belief is that people just don’t know what’s good for them, but the government does, and once everyone accepts and gets behind it, then the world will prosper into a utopia that none have ever imagined, especially those making sure it happens. Reality is filled with discomfort, and no amount of government spending or committee action plans can prevent it. The 20th century was marked by government programs and agencies aimed at solving the problems of the day. Despite more money spent than at any other time in human history and agencies as abundant as the funding, no issues were solved, and the problems ballooned to the outlandish portions that we, the descendants of technocratic overlords, have to deal with today. These problems are only compounded by a nostalgia for a world that never was and could never have been. Where things were set right by government intervention, and the world only knew such peace and abundance because of it. In reality, the world has been made better by people, not governments, and nearly always in spite of taxes, laws, and programs that existed only to employ the unemployable. Generations of college students have turned into progressive activists, and revolutionaries have turned to these ideas once again to solve problems and right wrongs, often, if not always, created by the government they demand address new-old problems with new names. The will of the people or the rights of individuals be damned, progress at all costs.

Washington state is eager to eclipse California in its drive to be the nation's leading progressive hub. Despite a history of its citizens refusing an income tax, the Democratic legislators and governor knew better and saw to it that their will was ignored for the greater good. As the cost of living continues to rise, so too do taxes and spending to address the issues they have caused. This, in turn, leads to growing homelessness nationally, but more so in states like Washington and California. While the latter has spent countless billions on state programs and NGO funding, Washington has decided to go a step further. With the passage of HB 2266, the state government has decided to take the power to address the issue directly from local communities and instead force them to comply with a one-size-fits-all program. To be fair, homelessness is a complex issue that governments at every level haven’t tried to adequately address for some time. Instead, simply blocking it from plain sight or forcing those affected to keep moving around. The bill states as much: “The data confirms what service providers and outreach workers have been saying for years. Local criminalization does not resolve homelessness, it simply moves it. This displacement is not random. It is driven by enforcement activity layered on top of uneven shelter access.” However, the state government has opted to take a sledgehammer approach to a delicate issue. While a majority of the state's residents agree it’s a major issue that needs to be dealt with. Over 60% believe the bill will only make matters worse. One of HB226’s key components is removing restrictions on where the shelters can be placed. This means local ordinances can’t prevent them from being placed in profitable areas of their downtowns or near hotels and residential areas. One restriction requires that they be at least 500 feet from schools, but this, too, is likely to be overwritten in the state's zeal to force housing on local residents in an effort to end homelessness by their definition. A particular point that isn’t addressed is what happens if the shelters are built, denying local areas income and tax revenue, and many of those who identify as being homeless refuse to use the shelters. Will the state pass another bill to deny their autonomy and force them inside? Taxpayer expense is an afterthought when solving problems that create even more problems, requiring even more taxpayer funding for those who care little for either voters' rights or money.

Problem-solving has become a zero-sum game, with inputs and outputs, played by those who have nothing to risk and everything to gain. All that matters is solving the issue that's most visible, without thinking about what it would actually look like or asking the question, what problems could this create? Human rights have replaced human dignity or free will. Senator Bernie Sanders often drives home the point that he believes that everything from housing to healthcare should be a human right. What he never discusses is what such a legally recognized right would entail. It would effectively allow the state to override its citizens' rights and wishes to ensure the rights of others. Costs and wishes would be thrown to the wind as quickly as a caution to ensure these rights. It would essentially become a self-licking ice cream cone of waste, fraud, and abuse. All of which can be seen on the West Coast and in most major metropolitan areas that copy and paste the same policies and expenses in their cities and states. Human rights cannot have a price, especially when some have so much and others so little. When the world is fair and equitable, each politician and functionary will surely be rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize and the unyielding thanks of the people whose lives were made better by such policies and practices. For now, those nay-sayers who doubt such humanitarian policies will have to give up some more until such a glorious future becomes a reality.

Everyone who is able should help those in their community in a way that they can. But, no good comes from forcing others to give up their freedom of choice, their property, or their hard-earned goods for some greater good decided in committee meetings in capital buildings made of such fine and well-endowed marble and bronze paid for by the people, those who occupy such buildings and rooms devalue and ignore. The issues of our time, that have plagued humanity from the beginning, can and should be solved. They will never be, so long as the people aren’t given the chance to solve them on their own. Human life is a precious thing. In an effort to save it, deciding which has value and which doesn’t can’t make the world a better place.