Hud Scandal

The recent articles in the Times Orange County Edition about the way the Orange County Housing and Community Development Agency has administered federal Housing and Urban Development funds for housing rehabilitation are, from my experience, completely in error or vastly exaggerated. While I realize that you were only reporting the conclusions of other bureaucrats and possibly bringing to your readers a local example of a national scandal, I feel you have done a real disservice to Orange County HCD and its housing rehabilitation staff.

Former Interior Secretary James G. Watt pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he hindered investigation of the Ronald Reagan-era scandal at the Housing and Urban Development Department. "I have been knocked down in an embarrassing and humiliating way," Watt told reporters outside the federal courthouse, "but I'm not knocked out." Watt, 57, is charged with covering up some of his work as a consultant seeking federal aid from HUD.

Former Interior Secretary James G. Watt pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he hindered investigation of the Ronald Reagan-era scandal at the Housing and Urban Development Department. "I have been knocked down in an embarrassing and humiliating way," Watt told reporters outside the federal courthouse, "but I'm not knocked out." Watt, 57, is charged with covering up some of his work as a consultant seeking federal aid from HUD.

Elaine Richardson, an assistant to former Sen. Edward W. Brooke, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements by Brooke to investigators in the HUD influence-peddling scandal. Her plea agreement said she remained silent while Brooke falsely stated that neither he nor Richardson tried to influence a HUD official to allocate housing units to an owner-developer who was Brooke's client.

The crime is all the more insidious because it thrives in areas of severe economic distress--Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado these days. A straw buyer obtains home financing backed by the federal Housing and Urban Development Department and then signs the house over to a conspirator who would not have qualified for HUD financing himself. The conspirator, who might have as many as 50 such deals alive at one time, offers the home for rent but makes no mortgage payments.

It is not hard to understand why the Young Americans for Freedom see both the government and business interests as enemies of the people. The HUD scandal is just one example where big business, and big government, under the guise of being "custodians of the poor," conspire to feed at the public trough. I am still a Republican, so as to remain socially acceptable. However, a large part of my heart and mind goes out to the Young Americans for Freedom, as I become increasingly disgusted and disillusioned by the liberal values of our society.

Angela (Bay) Buchanan of Irvine, a Republican candidate for state treasurer, expressed confidence Wednesday in the integrity of her campaign consultant despite his firm's involvement in a fee scandal at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Roger Stone, who has been advising Buchanan for several months, resigned Tuesday from the New Jersey gubernatorial campaign of Rep. James Courter (R-N.J.) in the wake of publicity linking the firm to the HUD scandal. "I have complete confidence in Roger Stone's integrity and his competence as a campaign strategist," Buchanan said in a statement issued by her press aide, Liz Maas.

We can bail out the S & Ls for an estimated $300 billion; we can send millions to the Contras and our Central American cronies; we can lose billions in the Pentagon procurement program and the HUD scandal, but we can't find a few million for reparations to our citizens of Japanese descent who were detained illegally and sent to camps during World War II. Adding insult to injury, most of these people lost or had to sell their property and possessions as...

After the savings and loan scandal, the HUD scandal, the EPA scandal and the Pentagon spending scandal, the next scandal to be uncovered will be the redevelopment scandal in the cities across the nation. Developers are moving in and promoting the stealing of private property from owners of property just because these properties happen to be on valuable land that offers developers profit-making opportunities. The city government is encouraged to expropriate this private property, giving the rightful owners minimal compensation which would not permit them to even begin to duplicate their investment at current market prices.

In response "Young America Is Looking Out for No. 1," by Michael Josephson (Commentary, Oct. 16): I will concede that the ethics of my generation tend to be lax. Now, I'd like you to consider where we've been getting our ideas from. When President Reagan gave tax breaks to the rich so the money would "trickle down" to the poor, who came first? When members of Congress voted themselves a raise as the national debt climbed to its highest in our country's history, who came first?

In response "Young America Is Looking Out for No. 1," by Michael Josephson (Commentary, Oct. 16): I will concede that the ethics of my generation tend to be lax. Now, I'd like you to consider where we've been getting our ideas from. When President Reagan gave tax breaks to the rich so the money would "trickle down" to the poor, who came first? When members of Congress voted themselves a raise as the national debt climbed to its highest in our country's history, who came first?

After the savings and loan scandal, the HUD scandal, the EPA scandal and the Pentagon spending scandal, the next scandal to be uncovered will be the redevelopment scandal in the cities across the nation. Developers are moving in and promoting the stealing of private property from owners of property just because these properties happen to be on valuable land that offers developers profit-making opportunities. The city government is encouraged to expropriate this private property, giving the rightful owners minimal compensation which would not permit them to even begin to duplicate their investment at current market prices.

Re: "Forgive and Forget?" (July 17): Maybe the passage of years has softened his memory for some, but not I. To this very day, I am torn by the memory of my mother, weeping in helpless and frustrated anger as her friend, her proudly admired and infinitely respected friend, Helen Gahagan Douglas, drowned in the tide of lies that flowed so indifferently from Nixon's wicked lips, punctuated by those shifting, constantly closing eyes. That destroyer of lives and careers who could, in latter years, so blandly and uncaringly excuse his inexcusable actions on his "youth" is a memory better kept alive as we remain on guard.

It is not hard to understand why the Young Americans for Freedom see both the government and business interests as enemies of the people. The HUD scandal is just one example where big business, and big government, under the guise of being "custodians of the poor," conspire to feed at the public trough. I am still a Republican, so as to remain socially acceptable. However, a large part of my heart and mind goes out to the Young Americans for Freedom, as I become increasingly disgusted and disillusioned by the liberal values of our society.

The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee named a special panel Tuesday to investigate the multibillion-dollar scandals at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, just as a House probe is winding down. Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) was named chairman of the new Special Investigations Subcommittee by Sen. Donald W. Riegle Jr. (D-Mich.), chairman of the banking committee. Graham said no decision had been made on whether the panel would seek testimony from former HUD Secretary Samuel R.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel R. Pierce on Friday exercised his right to ban cameras from his forced congressional testimony next week about scandals at the housing agency during his eight-year tenure. Pierce's attorney also gave his strongest indication yet that the former secretary might refuse to answer certain questions when he appears before a House subcommittee on Tuesday. But the attorney said no thought was being given to ignoring the subpoena altogether.

The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee named a special panel Tuesday to investigate the multibillion-dollar scandals at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, just as a House probe is winding down. Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) was named chairman of the new Special Investigations Subcommittee by Sen. Donald W. Riegle Jr. (D-Mich.), chairman of the banking committee. Graham said no decision had been made on whether the panel would seek testimony from former HUD Secretary Samuel R.

Re: "Forgive and Forget?" (July 17): Maybe the passage of years has softened his memory for some, but not I. To this very day, I am torn by the memory of my mother, weeping in helpless and frustrated anger as her friend, her proudly admired and infinitely respected friend, Helen Gahagan Douglas, drowned in the tide of lies that flowed so indifferently from Nixon's wicked lips, punctuated by those shifting, constantly closing eyes. That destroyer of lives and careers who could, in latter years, so blandly and uncaringly excuse his inexcusable actions on his "youth" is a memory better kept alive as we remain on guard.

The recent articles in the Times Orange County Edition about the way the Orange County Housing and Community Development Agency has administered federal Housing and Urban Development funds for housing rehabilitation are, from my experience, completely in error or vastly exaggerated. While I realize that you were only reporting the conclusions of other bureaucrats and possibly bringing to your readers a local example of a national scandal, I feel you have done a real disservice to Orange County HCD and its housing rehabilitation staff.

We can bail out the S & Ls for an estimated $300 billion; we can send millions to the Contras and our Central American cronies; we can lose billions in the Pentagon procurement program and the HUD scandal, but we can't find a few million for reparations to our citizens of Japanese descent who were detained illegally and sent to camps during World War II. Adding insult to injury, most of these people lost or had to sell their property and possessions as...