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He does not see it wrong. You are appealing to supply and demand as if it was an immutable law of the universe and not just an outcome of predatory human behav

He does not see it wrong. You are appealing to supply and demand as if it was an immutable law of the universe and not just an outcome of predatory human behaviour. When demand outstrips supply, prices go up. He never suggested otherwise. But why do sellers raise the prices on necessities such as housing just because they can? It is because they are predatory assholes.

quicklyfrozen 11y ago
Do you offer to take a lower then market rate from your employer because it's more then you need? Then why would you expect the same from a property owner? And why blame just the property owners? Presumably if no one was willing to pay the rents they would have to come down -- but some "predatory" renters are willing to pay to get what they want.
- dempseye 11y ago
  It is very simple. I blame the property owners because they have vastly more power than the renters. If a renter has a choice between paying an exorbitant rent and sleeping on the street, then I do not blame him for paying. However, I think that a renter who pays an exorbitant rent when a cheaper yet still liveable alternative is available is partly complicit. I work for myself, but in the hypothetical situation where I worked for somebody else, no, I would not offer to take a lower rate from my employer just because it is more than I need. I am entitled to every single penny that my employer makes from my labour. The difference between what he makes from it and what he pays me for it is capitalistic exploitation. It is in the interest of justice that it be minimised.
harryh 11y ago
I certainly agree that human behavior isn't an immutable law of the universe in the same way that, say, gravity is. But, at least to me, it seems that treating it as such gives us a pretty good model for how the world actually works and thus allows us to make accurate predictions about the future.

quicklyfrozen 11y ago

Do you offer to take a lower then market rate from your employer because it's more then you need? Then why would you expect the same from a property owner? And why blame just the property owners? Presumably if no one was willing to pay the rents they would have to come down -- but some "predatory" renters are willing to pay to get what they want.

dempseye 11y ago
It is very simple. I blame the property owners because they have vastly more power than the renters. If a renter has a choice between paying an exorbitant rent and sleeping on the street, then I do not blame him for paying. However, I think that a renter who pays an exorbitant rent when a cheaper yet still liveable alternative is available is partly complicit. I work for myself, but in the hypothetical situation where I worked for somebody else, no, I would not offer to take a lower rate from my employer just because it is more than I need. I am entitled to every single penny that my employer makes from my labour. The difference between what he makes from it and what he pays me for it is capitalistic exploitation. It is in the interest of justice that it be minimised.

harryh 11y ago

I certainly agree that human behavior isn't an immutable law of the universe in the same way that, say, gravity is. But, at least to me, it seems that treating it as such gives us a pretty good model for how the world actually works and thus allows us to make accurate predictions about the future.