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Curious to see how this plays out. Large property owners in the US are the primordial lobby. Law exists for the purpose of defending private property. Private p
by jonahbenton 3y ago
Curious to see how this plays out. Large property owners in the US are the primordial lobby. Law exists for the purpose of defending private property. Private property exists for the purpose of making money. The government exists to operate the law and defend these purposes. These dynamics are the origin story of the revolution. How far DoJ is allowed to go in biting the hand that allowed it to be created will be interesting. Of course this sort of collusive behavior long predates software, it is called "the invisible hand" of the market. So precisely what guardrails around this behavior will be established?
- mistrial9 3y agoMary and Joseph were without a place to sleep .. rent is a lot older than that version of things.
- meepmorp 3y agothat's more not being able to find a hotel room than not being able to afford rent, though
- theGeatZhopa 3y agoSo, hotel is a lot older than rent. But, what has been there first? Without rent no hotel room and without hotel no need for rent.. hm. I have to think about it.
- zeusk 3y ago> How far DoJ is allowed to go in biting the hand that allowed it to be created will be interesting. Interesting how in your own head you are. Maybe DoJ needs to show the government and law are for all - not just "landlords".
- jonahbenton 3y agoA little tongue in cheek. But only a little. In the reality most of us share, real estate is extremely powerful. Many tech people don't understand this.
- objektif 3y agoSo just let them break the law?
- xapata 3y ago"Primordial" and "US" don't really go together. The USA is only ~250 years old.
- jonahbenton 3y agoSigh. "basic and fundamental."
- xapata 3y agoBetter. The hyperbole didn't help your comment. I think you'll find people more interested in engaging in serious discussion if you write with a tone that invites thought instead of reaction.
- jonahbenton 3y agoSometimes. Most of the time commenting on HN is fighting with a compiler, one that is not a useful arbiter of correctness. I really don't have time for it.
- ted_bunny 3y agoPart of why most of my friends aren't in tech.
- psunavy03 3y agoPrivate property does not just exist for the purpose of making money. Your food is your private property, and it exists to nourish you. Your primary residence, if you own rather than rent, is your private property and it exists to give you shelter and a place to live life. Your car, if you have one, is your private property and exists to allow you to go places. Making money is but one of the uses property can be put to.
- jonahbenton 3y agoWith respect, recommend reading history, especially the history of "real" property and property law. Look up the definition of "chattel."
- ted_bunny 3y agoProvate property is a construct that exists alongside the physical thing, but the two are not identical
- paxys 3y agoThe real estate lobby is run by single family homeowners, not large apartment complexes. The latter is a relatively new entrant in the space, and hardly has any power.
- nerdponx 3y agoUpvoting because I think you're making an interesting point. But I'm not so convinced that residential landlords will push back on this. They'll let RealPage take the fall, and go back to price gouging and colluding the old-fashioned way, quietly and in private. Nor do I think politicians are so beholden to any one lobby that they'd risk torches and pitchforks. RealPage got some very bad press recently and people are very very upset when they go to look at their bank accounts. Much easier to kill off RealPage and keep people from getting too riled up. Therefore I think this will go through and RealPage will be penalized into oblivion, but landlords and politicians will both know that it was a worthy sacrifice to keep the profit flowing in the long term.