Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Is Overlooked by HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge
Marcia Fudge, the Secretary of HUD, decided to convene a special meeting of master minds with absolutely no real diversity, equity or inclusion included, with the intent of “closing the racial gap and increasing access to homeownership in African American communities.”
Appraisers, all the racial mud-slinging against appraisers by the current government is extremely disheartening toward our honored profession.
The people ‘in power’ over the last few years have been fond of image building and acronyms, believing those items will have magical influence over property values, and how people conduct themselves.
One of these is named DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Here are definitions for those words, from the University of Iowa (sorry about the highlights). I also removed the word ‘campus’ because DEI is not just for colleges:
Diversity refers to all aspects of human difference, social identities, and social group differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religion/spirituality, age, (dis)ability, and military/veteran status, political perspective, and associational preferences.
Equity refers to fair and just practices and policies that ensure all community members can thrive. Equity is different than equality in that equality implies treating everyone as if their experiences are exactly the same. Being equitable means acknowledging and addressing structural inequalities — historic and current — that advantage some and disadvantage others. Equal treatment results in equity only if everyone starts with equal access to opportunities.
Inclusion refers to a community where all members are and feel respected, have a sense of belonging, and are able to participate and achieve to their potential. While diversity is essential, it is not sufficient. An institution can be both diverse and non-inclusive at the same time, thus a sustained practice of creating inclusive environments is necessary for success.
So why am I writing this tidbit today? Marcia Fudge, the Secretary of HUD, decided to convene a special meeting of master minds with absolutely no real diversity, equity or inclusion included, with the intent of “closing the racial gap and increasing access to homeownership in African American communities.”
This is the esteemed group:
You can read about this ‘call to action’ here: In Case You Missed It: HUD Secretary Convenes African American CEO Roundtable Discussion with Leaders from the Nation’s Leading Organizations | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD’s primary responsibility and focus (since the 1930’s) is not to be oriented toward only one particular race or group. But apparently Ms. Fudge has a different viewpoint about this.
I’d like to challenge her to convene a special group to increase homeownership ability for Native Americans, Asians, Sikh Indians, and even disadvantaged white people also. That time, or with those individual groups, include some knowledgeable appraisers, economists and demographers on the panel.
Dave Towne on e-AppraisersDirectory.com
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She doesn’t care about any other race but her own. If this isn’t racism what is?
“We know that the housing system was designed with race based inequity structures, so having discussions about ways of building generational wealth is essential,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge.
Said the woman who’s boss wants to increase estate and capital gains taxes.
If there were a scale of Racist to Communist 0 – 10. I think she might be about an 8.5 with racism being a non-issue in context of the USA.
Not exactly an answer to your question. She is but a pawn attempting to surround herself with a like and supportive class during a critical time when class and posture has potential clout. Like Bitcoin before it crashed. A nice photo-op. The racist part is really a non issue.
It’s the epitome of hypocrisy. But don’t dare try to point that out lest the multi headed beast turn in your direction to devour.
I’ve been desk pounding and wordsmithing for 15 years about the left and the whack job political climate. I’ve grown weary, to the point where all I want to do is either tune completely out of it all (society in general) or blow it to bits so we can start over. I say that last piece figuratively of course.
What about the Hispanics?
“Hispanics” are “Of or from Spain” according to the dictonary, Looking at the Census reports, Hispanics are lumped in with the fraction “White, European” group and are well integrated into the population. Of course, Mrs. Fudge or Mrs. Waters would not care about them.
Do as I say… not as I do!!!
“… special meeting of master minds …”
Ha!, I see what you did there. Better be careful with those racists comments. I’ve been called out twice for reporting racist kitchen appliances and apparently underaged hvac systems.
I wrote in a report that the kitchen had standard white appliances and the HVAC at a certain point in time was known to be 10 years old and now 13 years old.
BOTH comments were called out for being possible fair housing violations.
It’s stories like these that make me reflect back to those heart warming words of the great Maxine Waters… “guess what this liberal would be all about? This liberal would be all about socializing — uh, uh, would be about basically taking over and the government running all of your companies.”
I guess Marcia has a problem with Vanilla Fudge? Reverse Racism is still Racism.
Being an appraiser means being unbiased, impartial, and objective.
For a HUD DEI committee that looks pretty one sided.
Thought exercise.
What if that entire panel was white or hispanic? What would the response be?
Animal Farm-some people are more equal than others.
So diverse
I contacted her about being a part of the PAVE Task Force. I stated I was an appraiser and a Latina woman with a unique and diverse perspective. I asked to be notified of meetings and to be able to speak. Nothing. I thought she just didn’t want input from appraisers because we would prove that her “research” and “data” are flawed and being misinterpreted. Seems there was more going on than that.
If you’re ever seen her speak at meetings, you will instantly realize that she is racist against white people. She even twists false “research” and “data” to try to “prove” that all white appraisers are racists. I’ve watched quite a few meetings with her about appraisal bias. Here is just one video and my notes. https://mary–cummins.blogspot.com/2023/02/rebuttal-to-marcia-fudges-misleading.html
I’m not buying into the popular narratives that there is some inevitable additional strength gained through diversity. There is nothing wrong with like minded people coalescing together for common goals, and such groups have a good track history of often accomplishing positive results. As noted below, it may be time for us to identify the root cause of many of our societal problems as being rooted in too much government, too high of a constant taxation, too many imposed rules which supposedly supersede our own personal best interests. I’ll remain mystified why this particular assimilation of corporations and charities needed to gather in DC, rather than working independently towards their proclaimed common goals.
Don’t worry about the issue too much, but thank you for trying to better represent the appraiser community. As Russel Means said; ‘Welcome to the Reservation.’ People should be more careful what they wish for because any special interest group whom successfully lobbies government will inevitably be likewise subjected to an indefinitely expanding new set of rules for living on the reservation, and their group will not be the only group expanding the guidelines and costs burden. Nobody escapes the rules of the reservation, from sea to shining sea.
I liked your article rebuttal, recall reading that before. “If those homes are appraised the way that they should be Laura, then we look at being able to pass down, significantly, more resources, and more wealth, to generations that follow.” Is that a value in use or value in market argument? Someone needs to explain to the director that when one leverages their home via a mortgage loan, the bank owns the property, they’re just living in it. Also, it may be difficult for any group to pass down wealth to generations when their money is taxed over and over again.
Say hello to the new patriarchy?
Racism works both ways; this is clearly an example of racism at its finest. While we can’t mention “black top driveways”, white or black appliances, master bedrooms & baths, walk-in closets are also a no-no…she better be prepared for some backlash on this meeting.
Wokeism and diversity hiring are perfect social examples of the Peter Principal.
Fudge has reached her peak and has now failed through promotion to a high rank via wokeism and diversity. All she is able to do now is project her broken mentality and insecurities onto those she does not like.
I would be surprised if she actually would have concepts in mind to fix anything in her realm much less any asymmetric thinking that might result in any new and improved methodologies. She seems pretty shallow.
You guys are perhaps missing the bigger picture here. One of the necessary aspects of understanding what appears illogical to one personally, is examining the world view differences in life experiences and thought processes from others perspectives. The pervasive systemic issue is that of an over imposing government which limited opportunities over a long period for many different portions of society. However, the individual experience of this imposition is often misinterpreted, which may take on a more personalized aspect to the individual attempting to explain why the force of government is used against them.
If people could just step back and realize big government is the problem, we could work towards meaningful solutions. Big government continues to stifle opportunities for citizens nationwide. Expanding the size and scope of government programs will solve nothing, serving instead as another vector and open door for special interests to continue their status quo position of continuing the corporate welfare warfare state.
The government already harms us with excessive taxation. Redirecting that harm, effecting an alteration to the distribution of the harm, to harm one group less, in turn harming other groups more, an ineffective solution. If the people truly wanted fair balance and better affordability, they’d shut down well over half of federal and local governments, let the people retain the fruits of their labor, let the free market provide the corrections the free market continues to call for. The idea that we can answer the demands of the market in a way which provides for posterity and growth, by answering that with the force of government and increased taxation, this continues to be a failed concept time and time again.
Eric above issued a thought exercise, what if, different scenario. Answer; All I see is a room full of special interest persons taking advantage of tax monies, a common sight to behold. Frightening irregardless of the racial composition. If those companies truly wanted to help individuals, all they’d need to do is cut some of their management and profit expenses and gift that to individuals via scholarships, expansion of better paying employment, outreach programs, charity drives so they could be fully in charge of distributions, etc. Instead, they all flood to DC with their hands out. They’ll all walk away with a kings share of the tax coffers too.
Ask yourself specifically, if these people and these organizations cared so much, why would they even want the government and all the slow bureaucratic processes involved, to be present in the first place? Enter the concept of forming dependency to establish a power base, your tax dollars hard at work. There is really nothing new happening with this story, except people dared to look at what transpires every single day of the week in the halls of big government; ongoing taxation without representation.
The other day I was debating with an old friend of mine whom is staunchly progressive and liberal. He was focused on how we have not committed enough to this or that, infrastructure, etc. Touting the current administration and general liberal policies as ‘finally accomplishing something’. My steadfast rebuttal was; Why don’t these corporations pay for their own infrastructure? Do you really buy their claims of inadequate management as being rooted in insufficient taxpayer subsidies? How did these companies grow so large in the first place, that they’re unable to retain sound operational status without taxpayer subsidies?
This is one of the most pervasive misunderstandings of the modern age, as we now consider the massive scale of infrastructure and companies that rely on such. Why is it the governments and the taxpayers business in the first place to subsidies these companies? They carve out subsidies one inch at a time, then when they fail to perform there is a constant advocacy for more taxpayer subsidies. Obviously that system is not working as intended. A return to personal accountability will allow society to self correct in our best interests, as we continue to vote with our wallet, and vote with our feet. We need to let go of the too big to fail concept and let these companies fall. Better more responsibly managed enterprises will inevitably take their place. The longer we prop up these failing enterprises whom can not exist without the government subsidy, the more unstable our society will become.
“You guys are perhaps missing the bigger picture here.”
You might like this…..
Central planning never works.
Free markets and liberty are the best ideas of we truly desire peace and prosperity.
https://mishtalk.com/economics/the-starter-home-is-no-more-even-in-second-tier-markets/
Key Points / In 41 of the 100 largest secondary cities in the U.S., renters earn half or less than half of the income they would need to buy a median-priced starter home.
Something about how corporations now speculate in residential housing using avm algorithms with an unlimited budget, focused on the lowest cost housing stock, to hold as rentals indefinitely, which in turn has propped up markets with artificially high purchase and rental cost basis, hindering first time buyer opportunities and upward mobility for everyone in this entire country, irregardless of race. As our nations GSE’s continue to offer special sweetheart deals to corporations whom receive first purchase opportunities of defaulted properties, alongside a newfound ability to game the system for even more profit potential, via eliminating the full service real estate appraiser, utilizing avm valuation instead, as well as stifling first time buyer competition.
One faucet of the affordability problem, government sellers have multiple motivations to sell low to investors whom capture all the savings then resell high in the open market or hold indefinitely as rentals. Trillions of dollars worth of savings and affordability potential, necessary market corrections which never occur, lost to the public due to a continued stream of special favors handed down to GSE industry insiders.
The lack of housing supply argument is exacerbated by the exponential rises in corporations holding the most affordable housing stock in perpetuity as reits, as well as with holding depreciated property sales away from common buyers and only allowing those to move to institutional investors whom are unlikely to return them to market at affordable ranges. When people step out there as first time buyers these days they are up against a well oiled machine of institutional investors backed by the GSE programs whom share common motivations to continue the artificial propping of housing market values as well as a motivation to eliminate influences which may hinder their dominance of the housing markets. One can’t throw a stick in residential housing without crossing a corporate rental offering. However, affordable purchase opportunities for individual participators may be few and far between.
Cherry on top in the affordability analysis is the prolific exponential rise of PUD projects for all new developments which local governments now force the PUD imposition in order to gain new building project approval. Almost all new developments are now built as PUD’s with an associated HOA fee, or they do not get built. The governments desire for PUD & HOA mandates in new development often functions as a mechanism to offload what would otherwise be standard municipal and area maintenance costs covered through standard home taxation, instead those costs are offloaded to home owners via the HOA PUD building mandates, and the standard home taxation is also still applied. Your housing tax money now flows to an ever expanding set of other pet projects of governance, municipal service costs are no longer effectively included in the applied mill levy tax, as those costs are now fees. The rise of municipal HOA’s, although most are not so honest as to plainly describe the primary function of the HOA in new housing, to cover municipal costs. The rise of PUD mandates imposed by ever expanding local government drives institutional investors to compete for late model housing stock where such additional imposed fees are not present, further exacerbating the affordability and availability crisis.
It’s true the GSE’s don’t really need full service individual appraisers anymore, much of our task is reporting on manipulated markets which have no chance of self correction. The avm will suffice, as that is manipulated by these same companies with interests in keeping affordability and home ownership just out of reach. We should not consider the continued conflicts of interests and harm to the general public which is caused by an excessive government whom has over many generations allowed special interests to manipulate markets and drive up costs via their revolving door special favors systems. Maybe another tax, or perhaps we could spend more, expand the size of government, and that will solve the affordability crisis. Form another committee, appropriate more tax money, further devalue the currency, focus on ‘equity’.
(from the linked article) This year’s Roundtable participants included: (certain portions redacted for clarity); Executive Leadership Council / TIAA / Ariel Investments / Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) / National Fair Housing Alliance / United Way Worldwide / Feeding America / National League of Cities (NLC) / Wells Fargo Foundation / National Black Justice Coalition / National Coalition for the Homeless / HomeFree-USA / National Community Stabilization Trust / National Association of Real Estate Brokers / T.D. Jakes Foundation / Comcast Corporation
Oh yeah! The for profit corporations, 501c’s, trust foundations whom all receive special benefits, subsidies, and grant monies from the government, aka; taxpayer monies, those are the entities which will deliver ‘equity’ to the housing markets. At what cost? Pepsi challenge to tally their cumulative benefits gained by way of taxpayer subsidies and figure out how much regular citizens pay these companies first, before the citizens may have the opportunity to compete against these companies, and every other corporation speculating in housing, for a housing purchase opportunity. They must be doing quite well to have enough time and resources to devote such top people from within their companies to the special government committees which focus on affordability. One ponders what they may ask in return for their companies participation. The average taxpayer may be somewhat confused regarding how highly paid executives from a telecommunications company, commission based salesmen organization, for profit investment companies, international lenders whom have been repeatedly sanctioned, hunger and medical service relief related charities, special limited focus organizations which do not offer services in their locations, and so on and so forth, how this set of companies will actually help the citizen achieve a more affordable home purchase opportunity.
Solutions for better affordability factors for all Americans may include moving to a flat tax for all corporations irregardless, eliminating 501c benefits for every company except to return to the original intention of the program to be limited for only religious organizations, drastically reduce grant money expenditures if not eliminate the grant giveaway programs entirely, winding down the GSE’s, abolishing the federal reserve, returning us to compliance with Article 1 section 10 on sound currency and obligations to honor contractual engagements. People can not buy houses because they can not afford the cost, currently paying nearly half of everything they earn to the government tax systems. Nothing to do with race.