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Until everyone has perfectly identical IQs, attractiveness, charisma, strength, agility and luck, some things will be perceived as economically unjust. In othe

Until everyone has perfectly identical IQs, attractiveness, charisma, strength, agility and luck, some things will be perceived as economically unjust. In other words, it will always be this way. Life is a competition for resources and genetic legacy, there are always going to be winners and losers. >wealthy may ignore social problems Yes, that's one of the best parts of being wealthy. Being able to enjoy life without constantly worrying about other people's problems. >And it's likely a significant drag on American GDP. Doubtful. Silicon Valley is pretty segregated and does pretty damn well GDP-wise. >it is an abuse of the a local government's police power to make it illegal to build apartment buildings. Zoning laws are police abuse? That's one I haven't heard before. You'd want no government intervention then? Can we build miles and miles of structures like the Oakland Ghost Ship in your fantasy society?

wbl 9y ago
No zoning doesn't mean no fire code. And why not give poor people a place to live they can afford?
akgerber 9y ago
Land use law is, under American constitutional law, permitted to local governments under the 'Police Power': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_power_(United_States_constitutional_law)#Basis_of_United_States_land-use_planning_authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_power_(United_States_co... In my opinion, using land use law to ban apartment buildings is a misuse of this power. I think that we should be able to build miles and miles of apartment buildings that meet fire-safety codes, rather than laws that mandate vast swathes of a region's land are only usable for single-family homes, leading to sprawl and long car commutes. Just because a society will never be perfectly just doesn't mean the status quo is particularly just— that's the is-ought fallacy. Do you think the state should use its power to ban things you dislike or find aesthetically distasteful, no matter its effects on others, when you're already wealthy and able to build yourself a pleasant life? Because that's the current usage of zoning law in the US.

wbl 9y ago

No zoning doesn't mean no fire code. And why not give poor people a place to live they can afford?

akgerber 9y ago

Land use law is, under American constitutional law, permitted to local governments under the 'Police Power': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_power_(United_States_constitutional_law)#Basis_of_United_States_land-use_planning_authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_power_(United_States_co... In my opinion, using land use law to ban apartment buildings is a misuse of this power. I think that we should be able to build miles and miles of apartment buildings that meet fire-safety codes, rather than laws that mandate vast swathes of a region's land are only usable for single-family homes, leading to sprawl and long car commutes. Just because a society will never be perfectly just doesn't mean the status quo is particularly just— that's the is-ought fallacy. Do you think the state should use its power to ban things you dislike or find aesthetically distasteful, no matter its effects on others, when you're already wealthy and able to build yourself a pleasant life? Because that's the current usage of zoning law in the US.