4 ms·

What ruined CA and NY wasn't "left-leaning" politics so much as self-serving hypocritical pseudo-liberalism. Mostly, it's the NIMBY impulse. You have wealthy se

What ruined CA and NY wasn't "left-leaning" politics so much as self-serving hypocritical pseudo-liberalism. Mostly, it's the NIMBY impulse. You have wealthy semi- or unemployed people (stereotypically housewives, but some are men) who have nothing to do but sit on various local boards and city councils and prevent anything that will hurt their house prices, even if it's good for the city. It's either that or sit on co-op boards, which are so full of mean-spirited intrigue that even Cthulhu can't stand those people. That's the kind of stuff that ruined NY and CA. One thing I have noticed in this world is that hypocritical pseudoleftists do a lot more damage, than real leftists or real conservatives, because they think morality is on their side when they wreak havoc. Also, Russian oligarchs and third-world despots fucked up the real estate markets in NY and CA. They don't live here, but they buy, and that affects everything and makes it a lot more competitive. This is not a dig against Austin; but the good news is that the foreign speculator scumbags are not going to take an interest in Austin any time soon. I don't live in Austin, although it sounds like a really cool place. My personal belief is that it needs some kind of centralized planning to keep inefficient growth that becomes tomorrow's legacy problem. I don't like the NIMBY regulations and self-serving injected complexity that often come about; but some kind of planning that encourages environmentally sound and healthy development is always a good thing.

chiph 13y ago
Watch out when people say "There ought to be a law/rule/regulation!". That's how CA got to where it is. One small rule at a time. The speculators are here (in Austin) - houses are being sold within 24 hours of being listed, with offers $10k above the asking price. Just crazy.
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  > Watch out when people say "There ought to be a law/rule/regulation!". That's how CA got to where it is. #12 out of 38 states by per capita income and GSP per capita, and #10 by median household income. Not exactly a bad place to be. (And, as that would suggest, much better than the US as a whole at all those measures.)
messick 13y ago
I used to have to tell people that California was full, and that they should stay in Texas. But, now Texans seem to be doing my job for me!
akdetrick 13y ago
This is what I believe is the single biggest advantage TX holds over NYC. It's hard to underestimate the power the Historic Districts Council and Municipal Art Society have over the future of the city. Despite the fact that no one elected organizations like these to govern, they have a huge impact on what gets built and what does not. The Municipal Arts Council, for example, is railing against a proposal to upzone Midtown East because it might change the look of the skyline [1]. NYC is already feeling the pinch of a housing shortage, and is so behind in building that the 2030 population projections had to be revised to account for the serious lack of housing [2]. Texas on the other hand, as bad as urban sprawl can be, keeps building. People move there, housing gets built, and supply meets demand much better than it does in NYC. [1] http://mas.org/urbanplanning/east-midtown/ http://mas.org/urbanplanning/east-midtown/ [2] http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/04/8528664/things-have-changed-new-york-city-million-person-growth-projection http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/04/85286...
- itsybitsycoder 13y ago
  I think you mean "hard to overestimate". "Hard to underestimate" would mean you'd have to have an extremely low estimation to have your estimate be lower than the actual, i.e., that the actual amount of power is quite small. If these orgs have a surprisingly large amount of power, it would be very easy to underestimate.

chiph 13y ago

Watch out when people say "There ought to be a law/rule/regulation!". That's how CA got to where it is. One small rule at a time. The speculators are here (in Austin) - houses are being sold within 24 hours of being listed, with offers $10k above the asking price. Just crazy.

dragonwriter 13y ago
> Watch out when people say "There ought to be a law/rule/regulation!". That's how CA got to where it is. #12 out of 38 states by per capita income and GSP per capita, and #10 by median household income. Not exactly a bad place to be. (And, as that would suggest, much better than the US as a whole at all those measures.)

messick 13y ago

I used to have to tell people that California was full, and that they should stay in Texas. But, now Texans seem to be doing my job for me!

akdetrick 13y ago

This is what I believe is the single biggest advantage TX holds over NYC. It's hard to underestimate the power the Historic Districts Council and Municipal Art Society have over the future of the city. Despite the fact that no one elected organizations like these to govern, they have a huge impact on what gets built and what does not. The Municipal Arts Council, for example, is railing against a proposal to upzone Midtown East because it might change the look of the skyline [1]. NYC is already feeling the pinch of a housing shortage, and is so behind in building that the 2030 population projections had to be revised to account for the serious lack of housing [2]. Texas on the other hand, as bad as urban sprawl can be, keeps building. People move there, housing gets built, and supply meets demand much better than it does in NYC. [1] http://mas.org/urbanplanning/east-midtown/ http://mas.org/urbanplanning/east-midtown/ [2] http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/04/8528664/things-have-changed-new-york-city-million-person-growth-projection http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/04/85286...

itsybitsycoder 13y ago
I think you mean "hard to overestimate". "Hard to underestimate" would mean you'd have to have an extremely low estimation to have your estimate be lower than the actual, i.e., that the actual amount of power is quite small. If these orgs have a surprisingly large amount of power, it would be very easy to underestimate.