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> Why can't I just gather materials and build my own house? Indeed. This is why discussion of "supply" misses the point. - Many people would quite happily bui
by djrobstep 8y ago
> Why can't I just gather materials and build my own house?
Indeed. This is why discussion of "supply" misses the point.
- Many people would quite happily build their own house in the middle of Central Park. But they cannot, because government intervention prevents them.
- Many homeless people would happily sleep in unused climate-controlled office buildings at night, but cannot, because government intervention prevents them.
- Many people would happily live outside of cities, but can't for financial reasons (effectively, the government coerces them via property law, into moving into cities to do work).
Supply is not the issue. There's plenty of supply already existing or easily created. The issue is that people are violently prevented from using it.
- titanomachy 8y agoAre you suggesting that anyone who wants to should be permitted to build a house in Central Park? And that the "government" is unreasonable for preventing them from doing so?
- djrobstep 8y agoNo, I'm saying that the problem isn't "supply", but that access to existing supply is violently (and unevenly) restricted. I'm interested in why you put government in quote marks. Do the cops who prevent people engaging in construction in Central Park not work for the government?
- CalRobert 8y agoIndeed. The descendants of people who occupied central park ca. 1600 might have thoughts on that.
- CalRobert 8y agoNo, but I do think it's worth exploring the idea of a commons once more. I suspect a not tiny percentage of the population might be better off with a low-overhead lifestyle that we've made extremely difficult with our model of land ownership. I respect property rights, which is why the more I learn the more our current system of selling the right to occupy land that was arbitrarily taken (from Irish and English farmers, from native Americans, or hell, even from Mexico) to be scaffolding designed to hide the fact the land was basically just stolen. Nevermind more recent outrages, like redlining.
- CalRobert 8y agoI think to some extent we've made it impossible to live truly cheaply because those making laws can't fathom someone going wxthout modern services. I'd prefer NOT to have a paved road to my door, but because of the assumption I need that the costs of road building are a reason not to permit building. I'm ok with off grid power, composting toilet, and rainwater collection too, but it's assumed I want a sterile wasteland (a lawn) in front of my home and will need to water it.