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The fastest way to achieve this change would be to make a vast fortune, and buy enough politicians to change the laws to reflect your own concept of how society

The fastest way to achieve this change would be to make a vast fortune, and buy enough politicians to change the laws to reflect your own concept of how society should work. The problem you may face next is the consequences of what you have done. Where will all those investment funds that were destined for housing end up instead? What will be the effects of that shift? Who will buy the politicians next, and what will they make them do? So long as you are prepared to keep on making and spending new vast fortunes, you will always be able to right the wrongs you see in society by buying more politicians over and over again so that your view prevails. That's the inherent strength of a liberal democracy like Australia. It is robust and responsive to the wishes of the people.

andrewstuart 5y ago
>> The fastest way to achieve this change would be to make a vast fortune The irony is that had I made a vast fortune, I would likely not care about this issue. I've noticed that people who own houses don't give a second's thought to this issue, or they don't see it is a problem. In fact, the opposite - if you own a house then you want to opposite of what I am campaigning for - you want prices to keep skyrocketing to infinity. The only people who own a house who care about this issue are those who have kids/grandkids and are concerned that those kids are forever renters. Put more simply: if you own a house then you don't give a ** about people who don't own a house.
- akamaka 5y ago
  I think a good approach for you to take here is Paul Graham’s “do things that don’t scale”. Buy your own land, build a multi-unit building, and then rent it out to people at a fair price. You’ll come away with a much greater practical understanding of the issues at hand than you’ll ever get by trying to organize people over the internet, and you’ll have tangibly helped yourself and a few other people.
- smitty1e 5y ago
  > The irony is that had I made a vast fortune, I would likely not care about this issue. Part of the issue is that our efforts are unlikely to have any lasting effect. Founding the movement on an enduring ethical basis is a tricky feat. Your quoted phrase is both honest and indicative of the challenge in making any changes that will outlast the individual who implements them.
- throwaway9139 5y ago
  Hi, Australian here living in Sydney. I'm a very happy renter. Renting in Sydney annually is way under 5% of the cost of owning a house. Even if I could afford to buy a house in Sydney, I wouldn't dream of it. It's much more economically sensible to rent. The money I save in opportunity costs from renting is huge. I can invest the difference between rent and mortgage repayments and don't need to be concerned with maintenance and other costs of owning. Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwl3-jBNEd4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwl3-jBNEd4 for more info.
  - andrewstuart 5y ago
    How old are you? $10 says every passing year will make you less happy with renting.
    - throwaway9139 5y ago
      I'm 45, I've been renting for 25 years. I love the flexibility. I've never been forced to move by a landlord, though I admit it could happen, but I'd be fine to move. I've moved voluntarily about 15 times in those last 25 years.
- ZeroGravitas 5y ago
  I think you've oversimplified there. People nearer the end of their life and with no children who own houses are the big winners here. If you own a home and want a bigger one, then the price rises hit you proportionately. If you want to move to another location, you may come out even but it adds a lot of drama to the process. You've probably overinvested in housing, because you see a need for a big house later and buying/renting your own current needs would hurt you later. If your kids want to move out then you'll probably end up using your gains to get them onto the owner side of the equation. So most people probably want to unwind this. The problem is (like climate change) one of 'collective action' (See Mancur Olson) in order for most to benefit they need to act together (your social movement) but therr will be small, concentrated pockets of power that can take advantage of the situation for their own benefit.

andrewstuart 5y ago

>> The fastest way to achieve this change would be to make a vast fortune The irony is that had I made a vast fortune, I would likely not care about this issue. I've noticed that people who own houses don't give a second's thought to this issue, or they don't see it is a problem. In fact, the opposite - if you own a house then you want to opposite of what I am campaigning for - you want prices to keep skyrocketing to infinity. The only people who own a house who care about this issue are those who have kids/grandkids and are concerned that those kids are forever renters. Put more simply: if you own a house then you don't give a ** about people who don't own a house.

akamaka 5y ago
I think a good approach for you to take here is Paul Graham’s “do things that don’t scale”. Buy your own land, build a multi-unit building, and then rent it out to people at a fair price. You’ll come away with a much greater practical understanding of the issues at hand than you’ll ever get by trying to organize people over the internet, and you’ll have tangibly helped yourself and a few other people.
smitty1e 5y ago
> The irony is that had I made a vast fortune, I would likely not care about this issue. Part of the issue is that our efforts are unlikely to have any lasting effect. Founding the movement on an enduring ethical basis is a tricky feat. Your quoted phrase is both honest and indicative of the challenge in making any changes that will outlast the individual who implements them.
throwaway9139 5y ago
Hi, Australian here living in Sydney. I'm a very happy renter. Renting in Sydney annually is way under 5% of the cost of owning a house. Even if I could afford to buy a house in Sydney, I wouldn't dream of it. It's much more economically sensible to rent. The money I save in opportunity costs from renting is huge. I can invest the difference between rent and mortgage repayments and don't need to be concerned with maintenance and other costs of owning. Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwl3-jBNEd4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwl3-jBNEd4 for more info.
- andrewstuart 5y ago
  How old are you? $10 says every passing year will make you less happy with renting.
  - throwaway9139 5y ago
    I'm 45, I've been renting for 25 years. I love the flexibility. I've never been forced to move by a landlord, though I admit it could happen, but I'd be fine to move. I've moved voluntarily about 15 times in those last 25 years.
ZeroGravitas 5y ago
I think you've oversimplified there. People nearer the end of their life and with no children who own houses are the big winners here. If you own a home and want a bigger one, then the price rises hit you proportionately. If you want to move to another location, you may come out even but it adds a lot of drama to the process. You've probably overinvested in housing, because you see a need for a big house later and buying/renting your own current needs would hurt you later. If your kids want to move out then you'll probably end up using your gains to get them onto the owner side of the equation. So most people probably want to unwind this. The problem is (like climate change) one of 'collective action' (See Mancur Olson) in order for most to benefit they need to act together (your social movement) but therr will be small, concentrated pockets of power that can take advantage of the situation for their own benefit.