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I read this article and didn't like it, but couldn't quite put my finger on what (apart from obvious things like the preachy style). After a cup of tea, here's
by red_admiral 10y ago
I read this article and didn't like it, but couldn't quite put my finger on what (apart from obvious things like the preachy style).
After a cup of tea, here's my conclusion: this is the housing equivalent of saying we must lower the minimum wage, otherwise employers will create fewer jobs.
It might be correct in a very narrow sense. It still doesn't feel right to me.
- cushychicken 10y agoInteresting perspective. Some basic math on the author's numbers also reveal that the laws have compelling impacts on his bottom line for rental income - mainly in the downward direction. Plus, looking at the floorplan of the proposed apartment: what on earth are people in one of these microhousing blocks going to do if there's a fire?!
- Decade 10y agoYes, it is true that higher wages lead to fewer jobs, all else being equal, especially in the presence of free trade. The difference here is that corporations are not people. I don't care if they starve, as long as the people have somewhere to live. Indeed, wages that go up increase fulfillment, all else being equal, but housing costs that go up increase civil unrest. It is not good for housing prices to increase unnecessarily. Perhaps your discomfort is cognitive dissonance? If so, bravo. There are a lot about economics that defy common notions of decency, and you have to push through it to make decisions that bring actual long-term benefits. Human cognition is defective that way, but our remarkable intellect allows us to understand the bigger picture.