Government Stigmas

Yesterday was American Studies Day, an annual event created to benefit the American Studies classes in our school. One of the speakers, Molly Metzker, talked about public housing, specifically in the north Chicago area. She stated that many public housing buildings, some dating back to the New Deal-era, are being torn down for a few reasons, some of which include to "replace" them and to fix them, but mostly to redevelop them to private companies for a profit. However, these redeveloped homes have failed to sell successfully.

I began to relate public housing usage to what I already knew about other government-funded programs, including Social Security and Medicare. I knew that many Americans, especially middle-class seniors, have not decided to take advantage of the programs because of the "stigma" that surrounds them. Not taking help from the government has long signaled financial independence, something that many Americans continue to strive for. Additionally, government aid usually is considered for the working class, so many middle-class Americans refuse to accept these programs, even if they could help make ends meet. I believe that the same goes for public housing, even if they are redeveloped by private companies. Middle-class families, and in some cases lower-class families, are reluctant to look into these new units because of the stigma that surrounds them. This is one of the reasons that public housing has failed. Many Americans still would rather rent a private home for more money than a publicly-housed one for less. Why do you think public housing has failed, even in this global recession?