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Political struggles for marijuana legalization, or same-sex marriage, are examples of deliberate strategies to make a proposal more acceptable over several deca

Political struggles for marijuana legalization, or same-sex marriage, are examples of deliberate strategies to make a proposal more acceptable over several decades. Most of the people involved expected it to take a long time -- and those who didn't were simply being unrealistic. What we are talking about here, specifically, is a short-term plan to deal with an immediate problem -- housing affordability. It's not the same kind of thing as the examples above. Short-term solutions have to be politically viable now, or in the very near future.

abecedarius 10y ago
You're welcome to a short-term focus, as I said. But this thread started with a long comment about the bigger picture; you answered, briefly and emphatically, that that sort of thinking was just out of bounds. The word 'zero' appeared twice, and again in follow-up, just in case we're slow. Short-term focus is not in undersupply. Our discourse would be improved if people about to respond with that sort of putdown would ask themselves how likely they are to hear back "Hm, yeah, that's a problem that didn't occur to me." -- and if that seems absurd then question why they want to say it, or at least the way they're saying it. This goes especially when shutting down ideas that are probably new to many people in the discussion. Saner collective decision-making matters far more than housing cost, or even (IMO) the bigger struggles you mention. No, I don't expect healthier discourse right away either -- but we can try not adding to the problem.
- ScottBurson 10y ago
  I couldn't have said it better. Thanks again.
  - abecedarius 10y ago
    You're welcome! Thanks for posting some new ideas.
ScottBurson 10y ago
For the record, I don't think there is a short-term solution, nor do I mean my proposal to be taken as one. It took us decades to get into this situation; it's going to take at least a couple of decades to get out of it.

abecedarius 10y ago

You're welcome to a short-term focus, as I said. But this thread started with a long comment about the bigger picture; you answered, briefly and emphatically, that that sort of thinking was just out of bounds. The word 'zero' appeared twice, and again in follow-up, just in case we're slow. Short-term focus is not in undersupply. Our discourse would be improved if people about to respond with that sort of putdown would ask themselves how likely they are to hear back "Hm, yeah, that's a problem that didn't occur to me." -- and if that seems absurd then question why they want to say it, or at least the way they're saying it. This goes especially when shutting down ideas that are probably new to many people in the discussion. Saner collective decision-making matters far more than housing cost, or even (IMO) the bigger struggles you mention. No, I don't expect healthier discourse right away either -- but we can try not adding to the problem.

ScottBurson 10y ago
I couldn't have said it better. Thanks again.
- abecedarius 10y ago
  You're welcome! Thanks for posting some new ideas.

ScottBurson 10y ago

For the record, I don't think there is a short-term solution, nor do I mean my proposal to be taken as one. It took us decades to get into this situation; it's going to take at least a couple of decades to get out of it.