Here I go again, trying to catch up to the news from behind, but this story was too good to pass up. Since I was a bit out of the loop yesterday, as we are preparing for the birth of our granddaughter Alexia Danae, (hopefully today or tomorrow) I failed to see this news. The Associated Press is reporting that ACORN is shutting it’s doors. Via CBN:
Citing declining revenue and right-wing attacks, ACORN officials announced on Monday that it will close all its offices by April 1.
“It’s really declining revenue in the face of a series of attacks from partisan operatives and right-wing activists that have taken away our ability to raise the resources we need,” ACORN spokesman Kevin Whelan said.
We have all been aware of the group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or ACORN and it’s activities. I have written more than one article, detailing how I felt they contributed a great deal to the collapse of the housing market. I based this on the strong arm tactics they used to force banks to make housing loans to people they knew full well had no means of paying back the money. Maybe they did perform some good deeds, but mostly they were nothing but a bunch of thugs.
That they were up to no good was proven last year when a video was released that showed ACORN employees instructing a man and a woman, playing a pimp and a prostitute, on how to get federal money for a brothel and keep their activities from the IRS. What I found laughable was how the group tried to disclaim what had happened as a setup. One of their lawyers even made the statement that the man playing the pimp was not dressed as one. Does that serve as an excuse when they were clearly caught on tape discussing the brothel and how to hide the activities from the IRS? I think not, but it serves as a reminder of just how far this group was willing to go to hide what it was doing. ACORN fired the employees that were involved in the incident and claimed it was set up, but the damage was done. Congress subsequently cut off all housing and other grants and while that act may have been unconstitutional, the damage was done. Because of the lack of funding nationwide, ACORN will be shutting it’s doors on April 1, 2010.
Some may decry this move, saying the working man has lost a valuable voice, but it seems to me that ACORN’s days have been numbered for quite some time. Over the past several years, their activities have drawn them a lot of attention and press time, most of it unfavorable. Their image has been suffering and while they may say it has been conservative attacks that has caused this, I beg to differ. Those conservative attacks served only to highlight what was wrong with this organization. With their closing, maybe some of the federal funds and other monies they were receiving can go to a group that can actually do some good for the people, without the thuggery that seemed to follow ACORN everywhere they went. Forgive me if I shed no tears over their demise.
