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I've considered that some people lack empathy. This is one reason have the "let them eat cake" attitude.
Most people lack empathy. And capitalism rewards them for it.
I have always said this: if you work a full-time job, 40 hours, at minimum wage, you should be able to comfortably (a third or less of your NET) a studio. That wouldn't be factoring in utilities which can also be an extra couple hundred bucks, health insurance, savings, a vehicle potentially, food, and just general life things that help keep the consumerism market going that support other jobs.
If everyone is putting their money towards rent because they have to, because they need shelter to live and that homelessness is illegal in most places, then they aren't supporting the economy, and even more jobs are being removed. It's a negative cycle. Rents and housing (mortgages) need to be reasonable for a lot more reasons. Supporting the economy should be the biggest reason, even unempathetic people should be able to stand by that one, even if they'd be perfectly fine having a bunch of homeless neighbors and tent cities around them because they "deserve it".
Most people lack empathy. And capitalism rewards them for it.
I have always said this: if you work a full-time job, 40 hours, at minimum wage, you should be able to comfortably (a third or less of your NET) a studio. That wouldn't be factoring in utilities which can also be an extra couple hundred bucks, health insurance, savings, a vehicle potentially, food, and just general life things that help keep the consumerism market going that support other jobs.
.
I don't remember a time when that was possible and my memory goes back about 60 years.
Whenever you look at a law about to be passed it usually sounds good, because the intent is good. The results however are usually different. Whether it is a minimum wage law or any other type.
Most people lack empathy. And capitalism rewards them for it.
even if they'd be perfectly fine having a bunch of homeless neighbors and tent cities around them because they "deserve it".
Yep. You live in a capitalistic society. And since you do, you think you deserve what you have because you worked hard, etc. Yet, there are all kinds of spots around the world where people are actually struggling. And what do YOU do about it? Nothing. Just like I walk as far as I can around a tent city.
My point is, that we are all selfish. And that includes you. You are selfishly saving for a house all the while people around the world are starving and don't have the most basic needs in life.
That all said, if I wanted to game the system, I'd be a pro like two of my SILs'. I'd be on government assistance, and county assistance, I'd game the system and get on my dead fathers' social security, etc. So much so that I too would buy a home. You heard that correctly. My SIL hasn't worked in 35 years. She got a small mortgage loan because he has social security income. Now she couldn't do that in AZ because it is too expensive. Maybe she should complain too.
I realize this is an extreme exception ^^. My point is, there are soooooooooo many programs out there. That's not to say I don't agree that there is way too much $ at the top. And of course, there are hundreds of laws that skew why people are where they are.
Still, before you put boomers in a bucket for lacking compassion, I bet the farm you would sleep like a baby just like I do if you were doing well. Because you are not reaching in your pocket to help people more in need all the while you think others should.
There is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much money at the top. That's a massive problem. AND, there are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many people that have coasted in life. And assume they "deserve" to have all of the amenities in life. Because "they work hard". Bull****. Too many people coast. And if you are struggling, tell me all about how you worked your butt off and got screwed. Look in the mirror. If you think about it, you will have your answers.
Analogy: if you are fat, you know why. If you are a drunk, you know why. Option 2: "it's not your fault". While part of that may be true (mental illness or bad parenting), people are where they are for a reason.
So like always, the truth is somewhere in between. I too would LOVE to live in the Bay Area. But I cannot afford it. And yes, I am where I am for a reason too. I could have worked harder and smarter. But that means sacrifice. ALL the while, our American economic system IS gamed as I stated in my 1st sentence. So when you worked your butt off and made the right moves in life and got screwed, I feel for you. If not, get your crap together.
We can all agree rents have gone through the roof here since 2020. O.k. now what? If your income hasn't kept up you'll probably end up having to move Where? That's for the individual to research.
Now, many people including myself have made poor choices in life. Until I was willing to admit this I wasn't going anywhere. Just spinning my wheels until they were about to fall off.
Others are happy to coast through life... and there's nothing wrong with that. However, that too is often a choice with consequences.
Yep. You live in a capitalistic society. And since you do, you think you deserve what you have because you worked hard, etc. Yet, there are all kinds of spots around the world where people are actually struggling. And what do YOU do about it? Nothing. Just like I walk as far as I can around a tent city.
My point is, that we are all selfish. And that includes you. You are selfishly saving for a house all the while people around the world are starving and don't have the most basic needs in life.
Still, before you put boomers in a bucket for lacking compassion, I bet the farm you would sleep like a baby just like I do if you were doing well. Because you are not reaching in your pocket to help people more in need all the while you think others should.
We live in a society, with government programs and systems and JOBS meant to handle these things. It is not my job to care for every single specimen on this earth, but I pay taxes for systems and pay support for other systems (companies, non-profits, etc.) to do these tasks at the benefit of myself and other people. I expect them to be able to achieve goals towards their mission statements and do it as efficiently as possible. Other people have jobs as social workers, teachers, homeless shelter administrators, etc. who are in these jobs expected to fill these needs in society. Again, I expect them to be able to do the job they are hired to do. The jobs exist for a reason. Not everyone needs to be a social worker, and with all of us working full-time and having personal lives, we do not have the time to volunteer. That's the point of specialists versus generalists. To select people who have the correct aptitudes for certain jobs so they can be done better and more effectively, so they can support others who are better for opposite tasks.
I work in occupational safety. I work at a warehouse where I am expected to provide basic medical treatment, and ensure the facility reduces its hazards so it's more preventative rather than reactive. Where people often spend 10 hours a day, I spend my time making sure they are in a better environment than they would be without my help, for hundreds of people. This is my JOB. I spend most of my waking life doing it. There are also people who don't do anything in their jobs that provide care or provide really any significant benefit to people other than support the auxillary systems, like IT specialists, but they also do their part to support the greater society. They also matter, as they work towards supporting the greater system. Just a different cog elsewhere. They also pay taxes to hopefully support programs like the Peace Corps and USAID.
I don't have to work for USAID or travel to Yemen twice a year to not care about world hunger or want it gone. I can however, pay trained professionals via taxes, to resolve the situation so I can fulfill another needed role in society. In fact, the people who do that work in USAID, get selected because they probably have the right skills and aptitude for it, where the money would be spent more effective, in comparison to me volunteering all of my time and not having a personal life.
People do not get to choose to exist. If they want to simply exist, they should be able to do so with the basics in life. We should have these anyway in case any one of us fall on hard times like losing our jobs during a Great Depression or such event at a personal level, which we often all will at least once in our lives. But people who want the reward that comes from a job accomplished, and the extra wants in life, should work for it.
And I said nothing about boomers. Stop projecting on me. Narcissists and sociopaths exist at every stage in life, it is a mental illness. Our system currently rewards this mental illness, and it's a problem.
We live in a society, with government programs and systems and JOBS meant to handle these things. It is not my job to care for every single specimen on this earth, but I pay taxes for systems and pay support for other systems (companies, non-profits, etc.) to do these tasks at the benefit of myself and other people. I expect them to be able to achieve goals towards their mission statements and do it as efficiently as possible. Other people have jobs as social workers, teachers, homeless shelter administrators, etc. who are in these jobs expected to fill these needs in society. Again, I expect them to be able to do the job they are hired to do. The jobs exist for a reason. Not everyone needs to be a social worker, and with all of us working full-time and having personal lives, we do not have the time to volunteer. That's the point of specialists versus generalists. To select people who have the correct aptitudes for certain jobs so they can be done better and more effectively, so they can support others who are better for opposite tasks.
I work in occupational safety. I work at a warehouse where I am expected to provide basic medical treatment, and ensure the facility reduces its hazards so it's more preventative rather than reactive. Where people often spend 10 hours a day, I spend my time making sure they are in a better environment than they would be without my help, for hundreds of people. This is my JOB. I spend most of my waking life doing it. There are also people who don't do anything in their jobs that provide care or provide really any significant benefit to people other than support the auxillary systems, like IT specialists, but they also do their part to support the greater society. They also matter, as they work towards supporting the greater system. Just a different cog elsewhere. They also pay taxes to hopefully support programs like the Peace Corps and USAID.
I don't have to work for USAID or travel to Yemen twice a year to not care about world hunger or want it gone. I can however, pay trained professionals via taxes, to resolve the situation so I can fulfill another needed role in society. In fact, the people who do that work in USAID, get selected because they probably have the right skills and aptitude for it, where the money would be spent more effective, in comparison to me volunteering all of my time and not having a personal life.
People do not get to choose to exist. If they want to simply exist, they should be able to do so with the basics in life. We should have these anyway in case any one of us fall on hard times like losing our jobs during a Great Depression or such event at a personal level, which we often all will at least once in our lives. But people who want the reward that comes from a job accomplished, and the extra wants in life, should work for it.
And I said nothing about boomers. Stop projecting on me. Narcissists and sociopaths exist at every stage in life, it is a mental illness. Our system currently rewards this mental illness, and it's a problem.
In other words a type of national safety net which includes a form of subsidized housing and a guaranteed minimum income. O.k. support candidates who agree.
In the meantime if a person is faced with a *rent increase which they can't afford they'll need to find new housing. I understand it's not easy and give my renters 60-90 days. They move out and new renters move in.
*I tell renters I plan to remodel the property in the event I need to sell. I understand a $600 increase is unaffordable. It's best to take back the property, fix it up and see what's going on with the market
I've considered that some people lack empathy. This is one reason have the "let them eat cake" attitude.
Check out the Gervais Principle. It says that sociopaths have a tendency to get into the C-suites. That explains a lot of the discussion, as these big shots have influence over the greater narrative.
In other words a type of national safety net which includes a form of subsidized housing and a guaranteed minimum income. O.k. support candidates who agree.
In the meantime if a person is faced with a *rent increase which they can't afford they'll need to find new housing. I understand it's not easy and give my renters 60-90 days. They move out and new renters move in.
*I tell renters I plan to remodel the property is which true in the event I need to sell. I understand a $600 increase is unaffordable. It's best to take back the property, fix it up and see what's going on with the market
On a micro level there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is you, and your other landlord friends, property management companies, etc. are also all doing it, and it's leading to a systemic problem, since the income isn't also going up and now there's less options to go, or for some of us, no options now.
My current apartment complex, for next year's lease, is choosing to increase my rent for $300/month. There's no reason for them to do this, because they aren't adding in any upgrades to the unit, my roommate and I have diligently paid our rent on time with no problems in the 2 years we've lived here, and we don't ever bug or complain to management. We live in a unit where you cannot control the temperature (chiller system), have a laundromat, and regularly has water issues. They are increasing it this much simply because they CAN, because they are banking and profiting off of people's NECESSITY for shelter. They are profiting off of a systemic disaster and to me that's ethically wrong.
This is why I want some sort of standard of living set in which the government provides to people so they can afford this. A universal basic income (UBI) it's called, that is given to the government to people who do not meet a certain $X/month income needed to afford their metropolitan area (because we all know Miami and Phoenix cost differently). And I do support candidates who support this, as do many others, and vote for them. But systems like the minimum wage, and the UBI, need constant updating and revisions to reflect the very volatile market, which is not happening, leading to this problem. Legislature should be written for annual review and revisions for the given monetary value as needed. It can be reduced, or increased, as needed.
I also support subsidized housing. But it's usually the landlord population, and homeowners, who are against subsidized housing because they are afraid of hurting their property values. This is selfish, because it's putting their profit above the quality of lives of others. This is leads to the "unemphatic" discussion many others were talking about before I joined the thread.
On a micro level there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is you, and your other landlord friends, property management companies, etc. are also all doing it, and it's leading to a systemic problem, since the income isn't also going up and now there's less options to go, or for some of us, no options now.
My current apartment complex, for next year's lease, is choosing to increase my rent for $300/month. There's no reason for them to do this, because they aren't adding in any upgrades to the unit, my roommate and I have diligently paid our rent on time with no problems in the 2 years we've lived here, and we don't ever bug or complain to management. We live in a unit where you cannot control the temperature (chiller system), have a laundromat, and regularly has water issues. They are increasing it this much simply because they CAN, because they are banking and profiting off of people's NECESSITY for shelter. They are profiting off of a systemic disaster and to me that's ethically wrong.
This is why I want some sort of standard of living set in which the government provides to people so they can afford this. A universal basic income (UBI) it's called, that is given to the government to people who do not meet a certain $X/month income needed to afford their metropolitan area (because we all know Miami and Phoenix cost differently). And I do support candidates who support this, as do many others, and vote for them. But systems like the minimum wage, and the UBI, need constant updating and revisions to reflect the very volatile market, which is not happening, leading to this problem. Legislature should be written for annual review and revisions for the given monetary value as needed. It can be reduced, or increased, as needed.
I also support subsidized housing. But it's usually the landlord population, and homeowners, who are against subsidized housing because they are afraid of hurting their property values. This is selfish, because it's putting their profit above the quality of lives of others. This is leads to the "unemphatic" discussion many others were talking about before I joined the thread.
But it is affordable for many esp. those who have moved here in recent years.
I have no problem getting market rate once a SFH rental is in good shape.
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