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The economy grows because value is being created. If we follow your advice and create less value, economic growth measured by GDP will finally become a total va

The economy grows because value is being created. If we follow your advice and create less value, economic growth measured by GDP will finally become a total vanity metric of who can create the most bullshit jobs and the most taxable transactions without creating any output. It stops being a good measure for wealth creation.

dcolkitt 6y ago
I’m sorry, but this rant does not make any sense. How is building housing a “bullshit job” that doesn’t “create value”. Housing is pretty much the definition of a valuable good. If your point is that short-lived housing is “cheating” because it has to get replaced faster, you do know that capital depreciation is included in GDP calculations, right? Otherwise, I simply don’t see whete you’re coming from. Short-lived housing stock is just as valuable as long-lived housing stock. I care whether I have a roof over my head, not whether it will be the same roof in 100 years. For example in Japan the average home is knocked down and rebuilt every 26 years. And it works fine for them. Even better in fact, Japans one of the only countries where the cost of housing hasn’t creased increased in the past 20 years. It also means that the average Japanese home is more up to do date with modern amenities and stylings. Much better than the drafty, damp homes with low ceilings, leaky plumbing, and outdated floor plans that you find in Britain’s century old housing stock.
- allendoerfer 6y ago
  I will explain the connection for you: A bullshit job is a job doing busy work, which is not actually needed. Building 10 homes designed to break instead of just one designed to last and be done with it, to me very much seems like a bullshit thing to do. You will have created more transactions, have grown the GDP and have made future people richer on paper. All you have actually done is to create less quality goods and cause more harm to the environment. Living your life in 4 different huts made of paper mâché is not the same as living in one properly built home. It's not like the hut will be good for 19 years and then suddenly fail you. It will be worse from day one, while a proper building can hold on to its quality. I am coming from a standpoint of valueing actual quality of life improvements. I also value nature and realize that there is climate change going on.

dcolkitt 6y ago

I’m sorry, but this rant does not make any sense. How is building housing a “bullshit job” that doesn’t “create value”. Housing is pretty much the definition of a valuable good. If your point is that short-lived housing is “cheating” because it has to get replaced faster, you do know that capital depreciation is included in GDP calculations, right? Otherwise, I simply don’t see whete you’re coming from. Short-lived housing stock is just as valuable as long-lived housing stock. I care whether I have a roof over my head, not whether it will be the same roof in 100 years. For example in Japan the average home is knocked down and rebuilt every 26 years. And it works fine for them. Even better in fact, Japans one of the only countries where the cost of housing hasn’t creased increased in the past 20 years. It also means that the average Japanese home is more up to do date with modern amenities and stylings. Much better than the drafty, damp homes with low ceilings, leaky plumbing, and outdated floor plans that you find in Britain’s century old housing stock.

allendoerfer 6y ago
I will explain the connection for you: A bullshit job is a job doing busy work, which is not actually needed. Building 10 homes designed to break instead of just one designed to last and be done with it, to me very much seems like a bullshit thing to do. You will have created more transactions, have grown the GDP and have made future people richer on paper. All you have actually done is to create less quality goods and cause more harm to the environment. Living your life in 4 different huts made of paper mâché is not the same as living in one properly built home. It's not like the hut will be good for 19 years and then suddenly fail you. It will be worse from day one, while a proper building can hold on to its quality. I am coming from a standpoint of valueing actual quality of life improvements. I also value nature and realize that there is climate change going on.