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The title is part of a quote from a local city council member fretting about the shortage of naturally affordable and subsidized housing units within the city of Austin:
“I believe that part of our role as a community and as a government is to provide protections against immoral market forces,” said Council Member Greg Casar
I find it interesting that he uses the term "immoral" and think it is very misleading mistaking the effect for the cause and then assigning some type of intention to parties involved in the housing market. I guess this kind of remark works with naive populists that are part of is his base, sort of a mirror image of what is happening on the other end of the political spectrum. I don't think it will work long term, but then again there is another council member, Ora Houston, here who referred to "supply and demand" as an adage. We will see if they get re-elected. Thoughts?
or supported by gov't. we have so many affordable housing projects going up that the general rental market has been neglected for decades. in all of nyc and the boroughs not one pure rental building that is not luxury , low income or part of an affordable housing program has been built since the 1970's .
only co-op's ,condo's and luxury buildings have been put up once you get away from the income restricted stuff ..
“I believe that part of our role as a community and as a government is to provide protections
against immoral (amoral? sic) market forces,” said Council Member Greg Casar
Thoughts?
The question is the definition of "part of" and to what extent of the overall public wealth gets used.
The deeper and usually far harder question is defining "protections".
Very often one set of efforts at "protection" focused on one end of these equations
will run head long into prevention of the sort of "natural" market force changes cities need.
But the quote does make for a good sound bite on the 6PM news.
I think it is ironic then for Casar to go on about "immoral market forces" while voting for the solar-ready homes requirement that increases the costs of home built here by ~$1500.
Of course it is interesting. More far-Left propaganda talking about "fair" and "equal outcomes." That's where wacko legislation and Socialist City Council members come from, referencing my home (Seattle) specifically as one example.
This gibberish arises in society from time to time, it's been on the ascendency here in the U.S. past few decades, some say since the hippie movements in the 1960s to start. It was dumb then, it's twice as dumb now. The American Dream is being replaced with Gub'ment Handouts mentality.
Here in Seattle they start in with the "lack of affordable housing" lament too, though here it is constant. In fact, there is plenty of affordable housing in outlying areas, neighborhoods not relevant to this national thread. It just takes longer to get into the core city from those areas. Natural economic forces are causing the rise in prices, and supply hasn't caught up (and may or may not, based on other economic forces). The movement to subsidize mass transit for the poor, on the other hand, has every indication of making a bit more sense somewhat subjectively. Problem solved.
The role of "..(as a) community and (as a) government to provide protections against immortal market forces." Uh huh. Get a job, pursue the real American dream, as I and all my colleagues did. Colleagues from all over the world, btw. Hippie bum. Agitate for something that makes sense, like cleaning the streets of bums and vagrants and burning down mass bum camps: that's what the people, those actually already paying oppressive taxes, really want you to do.
The title is part of a quote from a local city council member fretting about the shortage of naturally affordable and subsidized housing units within the city of Austin:
“I believe that part of our role as a community and as a government is to provide protections against immoral market forces,” said Council Member Greg Casar
I find it interesting that he uses the term "immoral" and think it is very misleading mistaking the effect for the cause and then assigning some type of intention to parties involved in the housing market. I guess this kind of remark works with naive populists that are part of is his base, sort of a mirror image of what is happening on the other end of the political spectrum. I don't think it will work long term, but then again there is another council member, Ora Houston, here who referred to "supply and demand" as an adage. We will see if they get re-elected. Thoughts?
Its entirely immoral for him to be earning the $70,000 salary Austin pays its council. If he had any decency he would be sending half his income to double the income of seven Filipino families living in poverty in Manila. After all, if economic forces can have morals or be immoral, then surely morality, which is now not limited to people or their acts, is not limited to notional geographic boundaries. I expect Mr. Casar will send the money forthwith. Its easy to send nowadays, so he has no excuse.
An supply and demand is just an adage acc. to Ms. Houston. I'll be sure to remember that next time I'm down the Tokyo fish market when they quote me the price on the Bluefin. No doubt the fishmonger will understand that something which has basically set the tune of economic activity since the beginning of economic activity is in fact just a silly old saying. I'll have the whole tuna for $25.
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