Another Obama Administration 'Crumb'- HUD Housing Nondiscrimination Rule To Be Enacted

The rainbow fixated on gay marriage only detractors of President Obama or busy selling out to the GOP were loud about hollering 'crumbs' every time the administration made regulatory or policy changes that positively impacted this community.

Well, here's another 'crumb' they can gripe and mumble incoherently to themselves about.   

The Federal Housing Administration announced today in a press release they have released the final text of HUD's new nondiscrimination rule that will prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in several HUD programs including Title VIII based public housing and FHA backed loans.

It was also announced during the just concluded Creating Change conference in Baltimore by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.

According to HUD the new nondiscrimination rule will:

• Requires owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing, or housing whose financing is insured by HUD, to make housing available without regard to the sexual orientation or gender identity of an applicant for, or occupant of, the dwelling, whether renter- or owner-occupied.  HUD will institute this policy in its rental assistance and homeownership programs, which include the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance programs, community development programs, and public and assisted housing programs.
  
• Prohibits lenders from using sexual orientation or gender identity as a basis to determine a borrower’s eligibility for FHA-insured mortgage financing.  FHA’s current regulations provide that a mortgage lender’s determination of the adequacy of a borrower’s income “shall be made in a uniform manner without regard to” specified prohibited grounds.  The rule will add actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity to the prohibited grounds to ensure FHA-approved lenders do not deny or otherwise alter the terms of mortgages on the basis of irrelevant criteria.
  
• Clarifies that all otherwise eligible families, regardless of marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity, will have the opportunity to participate in HUD programs. In the majority of HUD’s rental and homeownership programs the term “family” already has a broad scope, and includes a single person and families with or without children.  HUD’s rule clarifies that otherwise eligible families may not be excluded because one or more members of the family may be an LGBT individual, have an LGBT relationship, or be perceived to be such an individual or in such relationship.
   
• Prohibits owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing or housing insured by HUD from asking about an applicant or occupant’s sexual orientation and gender identity for the purpose of determining eligibility or otherwise making housing available. In response to comments on the proposed rule, HUD has clarified this final rule to state that this provision does not prohibit voluntary and anonymous reporting of sexual orientation or gender identity pursuant to state, local, or federal data collection requirements.

The rule will be published in the Federal Register and will take effect 30 days after its publication.

 

2012 Team USA Women's Olympic Soccer Watch- Clean Sheet To Title

The highly anticipated showdown between the USA and Canada for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament championship last night had a disappointing result for much of the record pro-Canadian sellout crowd of 25,427 at BC Place Stadium.

It was another dominating day at the office for Team USA, another USA win on Canadian soil and their third straight CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament title with the 4-0 win.

It didn't take Team USA long to get on the scoreboard as Alex Morgan scored her first goal of the evening only four minutes into the first half.  Abby Wambach followed it up with a pair of goals in the 24th and 28th minutes to propel the FIFA number one ranked squad to a comfortable 3-0 halftime lead.  Morgan contributed another goal in the 56th minute as the USA kept up the pressure on their northern neighbors all night.    

The win allowed the USA to complete this CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament without giving up a goal while blistering opposing nets 38 times in five matches.  It also increased their record to 5-0-1 in matches played against Canada on their side of the border.

Shoot, save some of that firepower for London.  

Can't wait until the chase for the Olympic threepeat starts in July..

2012 Team USA Women's Olympic Soccer Watch- USA vs Canada Final

The only thing that was settled on Friday night were which two teams were going to represent CONCACAF in the upcoming Olympic women's soccer tournament.   There's still a little matter of determining who will win this 2012 Olympic Qualifying tournament

As the experts and fans predicted before it started, the final will be contested between the FIFA world number one ranked USA squad and the FIFA world number seven ranked homegirls from Canada.

They faced each other in the 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying finals and it took a penalty kick shootout to decide it.   They also faced each other in the Beijing Olympic quarterfinals with the USDA emerging victorious in that instance and know that they will probably see each other again in London.

It's probably going to be just as tight in this one.   Team USA scored 34 goals in this tournament while Canada only gave up two while scoring 16.   Nine of them were courtesy of the tournament's leading scorer in Christine Sinclair.



Who said they didn't have anything to play for?  Team USA has never lost a match on Canadian soil, has played Canada five times north of the border and is 4-0-1.  

The fun will be televised on NBC Sports Network starting at 7 PM CST and looking forward to an exciting a closely contested game. 

2012 Team USA Women's Olympic Soccer Watch- London Or Bust

It really doesn't matter that so far the FIFA world number ranked Team USA won its group in dominating fashion, outscored its opponents 31-0, have never lost a match in a domed stadium, on Canadian soil or is 7-0-0 against Costa Rica.

All that matters is that 7 PM CST semifinal match they are playing in a few hours against Group A runner up Costa Rica.  

It's simple.  Win the match and you're going to London.   Lose and like the FIFA number 2 ranked Germans you'll be watching the Olympic women's tournament go on without you in a few months. 

In Team USA's case their chance to threepeat as Olympic champions dies with an upset loss.   

No pressure.   But as ESPN's NFL analyst Herman Edwards famously said, that why you play the games.  And when you do, the unthinkable can happen like the Ticas catching the USA on a bad day, beating them and going to the Olympics at our expense.

They already had that nightmare scenario play out during FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying two years ago when Mexico upset them in the semifinals.  They still had a chance to qualify via the two leg playoff against Italy and did so.   

In this Olympic tournament scenario there is no last ditch chance to qualify.  It's either win tonight or you'll be sitting at home this July.


In the other pressure packed semifinal matchup host nation and FIFA seventh ranked Canada takes on Mexico for the other CONCACAF Olympic berth.

Team USA is determined to make sure the upset for the ages doesn't happen and they end that semifinal match in Vancouver with a win and one of the two CONCACAF Olympic berths in their possession.

We'll see what transpires on the BC Place Stadium turf in a few hours.


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2012 Team USA Women's Olympic Soccer Watch- On To The Semis

FIFA number one ranked Team USA went into this marquee soccer matchup against our southern neighbors with a lot on the line and much to prove. 

In addition to keeping their hopes for an Olympic threepeat alive, they came into this match against Mexico with the Group B title on the line. 

They also wanted to prove that Mexico's 2-1 upset win on November 10, 2010 in Cancun was just a bad day at the CONCACAF qualifying office.  

They did so in convincing fashion as Carli Lloyd scored the first of her three goals in this crucial match in the 7th minute and Heather O'Reilly followed up with another one a minute later to stake the USA to a 2-0 halftime lead they never relinquished.  

Any hope that Mexico had coming out of the locker room of getting back into the match died with Lloyd's second goal in the 57th minute that effectively sealed it.  She completed the hat trick in the 86th minute on a set piece play.

With the 4-0 win the USA clinched the Group B title while unapologetically piling up a +31 goal differential to do so.  They now reap the rewards of topping the group with a Friday semifinal matchup with FIFA number 41 ranked Group B runner up Costa Rica and a trip to London on the line.

The other semifinal at BC Place Stadium will feature the FIFA seventh ranked host Canadians and winners of Group A playing Mexico for the other CONCACAF Olympic berth.   

The anti-climactic tournament final will be played on Sunday.   

The USA women are now 11-0-1 in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, 26-1-1 against Mexico, still has never lost a match on Canadian soil and are now 9-0-0 when playing in a domed stadium.  

But the most important game and streak for Team USA to maintain right now is the one that happens in the semifinals Friday against Costa Rica.