"L. E. Modesitt - A House By Any Other Name" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

"I'll have the special," grumbled Gus.

"Steak sandwich, Colorado beef, if you have it," added George, "with French fries and another Coke.
Roquetoast dressing on the salad."

"Would you like your coffee with dinner or later, Mr. Bargunn?"

"Later." Gus gestured the girl away.

"You got them to support this deal by promising more jobs? From what I know, Houseman cuts eighty
percent of the labor costs with his system. That's going to increase jobs?"

"Look, Gus, the new jobs don't have anything to do with low income housing. They're based on
Houseman's black industrial parks."

"Run that one by me again," demanded the Union official.

"All right. Houseman designed each housing area with space for an industrial park, based on the hope
that he could bring in black industry or persuade some of the larger corporations to locate branch
operations there and staff them with blacks."

"You mean the guy has been planning a total black environment the whole time?"

"Don't sound so outraged, Gus. Union labor will build all those beautiful black plants. That's what you
want, isn't it? More jobs?" George reached for the radishes.

"Just assuming that this massive construction, effort will create more Union jobs, and I'm not too sure of
that, but assuming it would," asked Gus quietly, "just how are you going to get the money for this Great
Industrial Relocation?"

"We've already got it, Gus." George took a satisfying crunch on his radish.

"Yeah? How?"

"We played a little switchy switchy behind the scenes, Gus. We, or I should say, my boss, went to the
President and showed him that subsidies for low income housing could be eliminated from the budget.
Houseman's methods are ten thousand dollars cheaper and need `no subsidy. Besides, no builder wants
to do the stuff; they just do it to keep their Federal Developer ticket so they can keep on the FHA, PC,
and VA approved lists.

"Anyway, extending VA, PC, and FHA approvals to plastic housing is all the help the low income buyer
really needs. And that's an Executive decision. The President was delighted. In fact, he muttered a bit
about `why hasn't it been done before?" "

Gus showed no reaction to George's fairly passable imitation of the President. George picked up the
Coke as soon as the waiter set it down, took a quick swallow, and went on.

"Then the `boss went to bat for Labor. He persuaded the President to budget the money we saved by
eliminating the subsidies for the Labor Market. Instead of subsidizing houses, we subsidize new
construction loans. But only if Union labor is used. And the Congressional leadership says there's enough