As a resident of NEO and of the USA you need to read Mr. Rokakis [1]. I picked this up via Brewed Fresh Daily who got it from Roldo [2]
Where do we go from here?
Down.
We are accelerating to the bottom with a little “collateral damage” to our community along the way.
However we must recognize that we’ll have to demolish more than vacant houses here in NEO to get back on our feet. We’ll need to demolish the management in our community, in our State, and in our Nation that facilitated us down this tragic path. Read that part in Mr. Rokakis's story about home rule - back in 2002 when the banking community lobbied in Columbus.
Our government is in bed with the businesses which are raping the communities.
Demolishing the houses may need to be done but isn’t the solution. And when the banks own the homes, why are the taxpayers spending our money to tear them down? We need a class action - the various cities facing this problem as plaintiffs - suit against the banks to recover the cost of removing the homes which the foreclosing banks own.
Instead, we spend more tax money to get the banks off their greedy, awkward hook.
Mr. Rokakis, can't the County (your office would seem to have legal standing to sue due to the damage in tax base and expenses) take the banks to task and recover at minimum the cost of demolition and re-landscaping to make the community physically/visually attractive?
Links:
[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/28/AR2007092801331.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
[2] http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2007/09/30/jim-rokakis-in-the-wapo/#comment-527552