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It's pretty extremist to say that I'm making a case for anarchy. Nobody's saying that we should change zoning or open illegal drug rings. People are wanting to

by MadManE 12y ago

It's pretty extremist to say that I'm making a case for anarchy. Nobody's saying that we should change zoning or open illegal drug rings. People are wanting to rent out apartments to short-term tenants. How is that remotely close to being a dangerous cartel that needs to be defended against? People are upset that other people are better off than they are, and using the extra financial leverage to treat an apartment as a temporary vacation home. Jealousy, plain and simple.

untog 12y ago
Jealousy, plain and simple. Not even slightly. People are upset because homes surrounding theirs are being rented out to short term tenants that do not care about the long or even medium term future of the home and it's surroundings. If you lived in an apartment building filled with tourists drunkenly stumbling around the stairwells, breaking fixtures and otherwise ruining the shared facilities, you might appreciate the concept.
- MadManE 12y ago
  I do live in an apartment building. It's pretty telling that you assume that I can't possibly relate to the common man, and if only I was in their position, I would be more sympathetic. I am in their position. And I am anything but sympathetic for that very reason.
  - untog 12y ago
    You are suggesting that you would have no problem with random groups of people waking you up at night and destroying shared property inside your apartment building?
  - MadManE 12y ago
    Reply to untog: Of course I'm not ok with people destroying things. But I don't think that having a law making subleasing illegal prevents that. You're acting as if the ability to do what I want with my property makes it a foregone conclusion that evil things will happen.
    - untog 12y ago
      You're acting as if the ability to do what I want with my property makes it a foregone conclusion that evil things will happen. No, I'm acting as if the ability for an unlimited and unknown number of complete strangers to enter my apartment building makes it a foregone conclusion that evil things will happen, which is pretty much true. Even if the vast majority of AirBnB customers behave, the odds are that there will always be an outlier that will ruin it.
ghaff 12y ago
One of the main purposes of zoning, for example, is (to use your words) to restrict "the ability to do what I want with my property." Would every use restricted by zoning harm me? Probably not. But some unit of local government has chosen to enact some set of restrictions that local residents believe will serve to reduce potentially harmful activities. None of this is perfect of course. And rules can get pretty silly especially when you start talking about homeowners associations and historical districts and the like. But in the aggregate, these laws serve a useful purpose.

by MadManE 12y ago

untog 12y ago

Jealousy, plain and simple. Not even slightly. People are upset because homes surrounding theirs are being rented out to short term tenants that do not care about the long or even medium term future of the home and it's surroundings. If you lived in an apartment building filled with tourists drunkenly stumbling around the stairwells, breaking fixtures and otherwise ruining the shared facilities, you might appreciate the concept.

MadManE 12y ago
I do live in an apartment building. It's pretty telling that you assume that I can't possibly relate to the common man, and if only I was in their position, I would be more sympathetic. I am in their position. And I am anything but sympathetic for that very reason.
- untog 12y ago
  You are suggesting that you would have no problem with random groups of people waking you up at night and destroying shared property inside your apartment building?
- MadManE 12y ago
  Reply to untog: Of course I'm not ok with people destroying things. But I don't think that having a law making subleasing illegal prevents that. You're acting as if the ability to do what I want with my property makes it a foregone conclusion that evil things will happen.
  - untog 12y ago
    You're acting as if the ability to do what I want with my property makes it a foregone conclusion that evil things will happen. No, I'm acting as if the ability for an unlimited and unknown number of complete strangers to enter my apartment building makes it a foregone conclusion that evil things will happen, which is pretty much true. Even if the vast majority of AirBnB customers behave, the odds are that there will always be an outlier that will ruin it.

ghaff 12y ago

One of the main purposes of zoning, for example, is (to use your words) to restrict "the ability to do what I want with my property." Would every use restricted by zoning harm me? Probably not. But some unit of local government has chosen to enact some set of restrictions that local residents believe will serve to reduce potentially harmful activities. None of this is perfect of course. And rules can get pretty silly especially when you start talking about homeowners associations and historical districts and the like. But in the aggregate, these laws serve a useful purpose.