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I'm kinda sick of seeing these articles on gentrification. Hey, if you can't afford to live there on a burger flipping job, then don't f'ing live there. Then

by madengr 12y ago

I'm kinda sick of seeing these articles on gentrification. Hey, if you can't afford to live there on a burger flipping job, then don't f'ing live there. Then the "rich people" who buy those hamburgers will pay more for them, which requires higher pay for the burger flippers, and less desirable to live there. Maybe it will become a desert void of service jobs, which would suck to live in, thus lowering prices. Oh, and I don't live in CA, actually someplace in flyover country that is affordable.

waterlesscloud 12y ago
Alternatively, people could try to prevent bad things from happening before they happen. "Let the city go to hell and then it will adjust" is crappy policy.
- madengr 12y ago
  It's not going to hell, it's a slow adjustment. This isn't rocket science, it's a simple system stabilized with negative feedback. Wages for low pay jobs will naturally rise when there is no one there to fill them, instead stimulus is being introduced to keep those people treading water. It's just the reverse effect of all the high paying jobs leaving; let all the low paying jobs leave.
chasing 12y ago
I have a related take, I guess: I live in Williamsburg, NYC. A lot of people want to live in Williamsburg, NYC. More people than the neighborhood can house. What's the solution to this problem? Preventing landlords from raising rents to what the market will bear seems unfair. Allowing rents to run wild and create problems for existing residents seems unfair, as well. I know money doesn't at all indicate someone's worth as a human or how great of a contribution they're making to the world. But. In an economy such as ours, it does indicate what kind of TV you can buy, what kind of car you can drive, and what sort of home you can live in. Oh, and I'm not saying I think housing prices should just be a free-for-all. Regulation is good. But it doesn't get us completely around what seems like the core issue...
- madengr 12y ago
  "Allowing rents to run wild and create problems for existing residents seems unfair, as well." Yes, it seems unfair, but that's what ought to be done, as they have made no investments, as compared to the landlords.

by madengr 12y ago

waterlesscloud 12y ago

Alternatively, people could try to prevent bad things from happening before they happen. "Let the city go to hell and then it will adjust" is crappy policy.

madengr 12y ago
It's not going to hell, it's a slow adjustment. This isn't rocket science, it's a simple system stabilized with negative feedback. Wages for low pay jobs will naturally rise when there is no one there to fill them, instead stimulus is being introduced to keep those people treading water. It's just the reverse effect of all the high paying jobs leaving; let all the low paying jobs leave.

chasing 12y ago

I have a related take, I guess: I live in Williamsburg, NYC. A lot of people want to live in Williamsburg, NYC. More people than the neighborhood can house. What's the solution to this problem? Preventing landlords from raising rents to what the market will bear seems unfair. Allowing rents to run wild and create problems for existing residents seems unfair, as well. I know money doesn't at all indicate someone's worth as a human or how great of a contribution they're making to the world. But. In an economy such as ours, it does indicate what kind of TV you can buy, what kind of car you can drive, and what sort of home you can live in. Oh, and I'm not saying I think housing prices should just be a free-for-all. Regulation is good. But it doesn't get us completely around what seems like the core issue...

madengr 12y ago
"Allowing rents to run wild and create problems for existing residents seems unfair, as well." Yes, it seems unfair, but that's what ought to be done, as they have made no investments, as compared to the landlords.