Rent Caps and Community Control of Your Property in Colorado Springs?

by Don Rodgers

Homelessness is an important issue and the people of Colorado Springs want to solve it in a compassionate way, and in a way that’s good for our city.  But is homelessness really the issue for homeless advocates?

Social Justice housing advocates are moving upon the city to use the homeless to help change Colorado Springs into the most socialist and progressive city in America. How can I say that? Here is an example: The group Colorado Homes for All is presenting the “Housing Justice and Organizing Workshop” to be held 29 January at the Penrose library from 5 Pm to 8 PM.

What exactly is Colorado Homes for All proposing for our city?

• “Rent Control” for Colorado Springs. Rent Control is the Socialist alternative to private property rights.  Rent control would basically mean that the City of Colorado Springs would set rental caps on everyone, so that the government sets rental rates, not the property owners.
• Expanded “renter’s rights” which brings the new tenant movement to Colorado Springs.  “The new tenant movement seeks to alter (the) historical balance of power and, in doing so, to transform renters into a political class that advocates for its own interests, passes policies with real benefits, influences local elections and eventually take seats of local power.”
• Community control of your land.  People’s World (a voice for progressive change and socialism in the United States) explains “community control of land” best:   “We have to seriously revamp our concepts of private property. Land cannot exist for speculation; it must be made into a public utility.”  Colorado Homes for All defines “community control of land” by reaffirming the guiding principles of National Homes for All regarding private property, “We believe Community and Housing are a human right, not a commodity to be exploited for profit. Land and housing should be collectively owned and controlled.”

Socialist advocacy “social justice” groups are using the homeless issue as a vehicle to fundamentally transform Colorado Springs. They are preying upon human compassion to radically change and infringe upon your individual rights, to revoke your property rights, and to make Colorado Springs a San Fransisco-On-Steroids.  And just as in San Fransisco, these social justice groups have no real solutions to the problem, because solutions are not what they are about. They are about moving across the country and spreading their radical anti-private property rights agenda.   They have now descended upon Colorado Springs.

Homelessness is a separate and growing issue in Colorado Springs, which absolutely must be addressed with compassion and wisdom. But homelessness is not the real issue here for social justice groups.  It is merely a convenient means of exploiting real and hurting homeless people in order to achieve a destructive end of Colorado Springs as we know it.

“The issue is never the issue.  The issue is always revolution.”