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Anyone else alarmed that a doctor was leaving because the rent was too high? A doctor is one of the jobs that is expected to pay top dollar in American society

Anyone else alarmed that a doctor was leaving because the rent was too high? A doctor is one of the jobs that is expected to pay top dollar in American society. If a doctor can't make it in the Bay Area, who's going to cut your hair, serve your beer, or mow your lawn? If wages don't rise in line with skyrocketing living costs, then the only alternative is a permenantly impoverished underclass. People of the Bay Area: are you ok with that?

niftich 10y ago
The permanently impoverished underclass is already here [1][2][3][4], so the answer seems to be yes. [1] https://newrepublic.com/article/124476/dispossessed-land-dreams https://newrepublic.com/article/124476/dispossessed-land-dre... [2] http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/the-place-where-the-poor-once-thrived/470667/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/the-plac... [3] https://www.thenation.com/article/bridging-silicon-valleys-wealth-gap/ https://www.thenation.com/article/bridging-silicon-valleys-w... [4] http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/25/news/economy/middle-class-silicon-valley/ http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/25/news/economy/middle-class-si...
boxy310 10y ago
Recently took a trip out to the Bay Area, and when I did the back-of-the-napkin calculations, I figured it would actually be cheaper to fly from the Midwest and stay in a hotel every other weekend, than it would be to live there. Really neat place to visit, but I can't understand how anyone in their right mind would live there.
- toephu2 10y ago
  Just like people from the city might say "I can't understand how anyone in their right mind would live in the midwest"
bagels 10y ago
What else can people do? The choices I see (with no mention of efficacy) are: leave, demand better pay, lobby for cohesive regional zoning and transportation planning that meets growth.
- HillaryBriss 10y ago
  > lobby for cohesive regional zoning and transportation planning that meets growth I agree that this is the right answer in theory. The challenge is that, in practice, by the time the critically important rail line or subway or high speed bus lane (or whatever) is built and put into operation, you're halfway to retirement and your kids are out of high school. So, practically speaking, a lot of people conclude that the only effective voting is the kind done with the feet. Too often state and local governments are not capable of doing their jobs quickly enough to solve the problems.
toephu2 10y ago
btw, how much do doctors (specifically primary care physicians) make in the Bay Area? They don't get bonuses nor stock, just base salary right?
- kamaal 10y ago
  May be that is the reason they are moving out!
kamaal 10y ago
>>If wages don't rise in line with skyrocketing living costs, then the only alternative is a permenantly impoverished underclass. If wages don't rise, people will migrate further reducing the supply to a point it won't easy for normal people to live their normal lives. Then the next round of migration will happen and so on.. until there won't be enough people to rent to and then the rents will come down. The worse, the better. Let the rents go up until it all collapses on itself.

niftich 10y ago

The permanently impoverished underclass is already here [1][2][3][4], so the answer seems to be yes. [1] https://newrepublic.com/article/124476/dispossessed-land-dreams https://newrepublic.com/article/124476/dispossessed-land-dre... [2] http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/the-place-where-the-poor-once-thrived/470667/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/the-plac... [3] https://www.thenation.com/article/bridging-silicon-valleys-wealth-gap/ https://www.thenation.com/article/bridging-silicon-valleys-w... [4] http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/25/news/economy/middle-class-silicon-valley/ http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/25/news/economy/middle-class-si...

boxy310 10y ago

Recently took a trip out to the Bay Area, and when I did the back-of-the-napkin calculations, I figured it would actually be cheaper to fly from the Midwest and stay in a hotel every other weekend, than it would be to live there. Really neat place to visit, but I can't understand how anyone in their right mind would live there.

toephu2 10y ago
Just like people from the city might say "I can't understand how anyone in their right mind would live in the midwest"

bagels 10y ago

What else can people do? The choices I see (with no mention of efficacy) are: leave, demand better pay, lobby for cohesive regional zoning and transportation planning that meets growth.

HillaryBriss 10y ago
> lobby for cohesive regional zoning and transportation planning that meets growth I agree that this is the right answer in theory. The challenge is that, in practice, by the time the critically important rail line or subway or high speed bus lane (or whatever) is built and put into operation, you're halfway to retirement and your kids are out of high school. So, practically speaking, a lot of people conclude that the only effective voting is the kind done with the feet. Too often state and local governments are not capable of doing their jobs quickly enough to solve the problems.

toephu2 10y ago

btw, how much do doctors (specifically primary care physicians) make in the Bay Area? They don't get bonuses nor stock, just base salary right?

kamaal 10y ago
May be that is the reason they are moving out!

kamaal 10y ago

>>If wages don't rise in line with skyrocketing living costs, then the only alternative is a permenantly impoverished underclass. If wages don't rise, people will migrate further reducing the supply to a point it won't easy for normal people to live their normal lives. Then the next round of migration will happen and so on.. until there won't be enough people to rent to and then the rents will come down. The worse, the better. Let the rents go up until it all collapses on itself.