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You're just proving my point. The politicians have created a welfare state where many people are of the mindset "If you're going to give me the opportunity, then I'm going to take it". How do you think the welfare state is ballooning to the extent that it has? It leads to the moral (and economic degradation) of society.
People like to point to "socialist" Scandinavian countries but in those countries, being on welfare programs is shameful. Their welfare state isn't a free for all and they're certainly not of the mindset of "If you're going to give me the opportunity, then I'm going to take it". Why? Because they realize it leads to the decaying of society. Seeing the dishonesty around them, honest people only have two choices. Remove themselves from the system (i.e. leave) or join the system. My parents and grandparents came from a system (the USSR) which was built on dishonesty. Trust me, no normal, honest person wants to live in such a society. It takes time but eventual the entry system collapses due to the internal rot.
With regard to your father, that's an entirely separate topic. The fact is the city was paying way too much into the retirement system (that's a fact) and that's why most city workers who joined circa 2010 (?) are on a much, much less "favorable" plan. The city did this because if it didn't, it would bankrupt the pension system. Imagine a city that loves to flush money down the toilet actually reforming the pension system. Can you imagine how screwed the old system was that they actually reformed it?
Once again, I'm not faulting any individual who assesses the situation honestly. Your father's example is prima facia evidence of why the old retirement system wasn't sustainable. Is it your mother's or father's fault for the way the system was constructed? Of course not.
However, I do fault individuals when they're dishonest about their motives and about assessing the situation. Just took at your last statement above. Taxes are there for the maintenance and improvement of the general good. They're not there to be pilfered for individual gain or for politicians to use in exchange for votes. The tax system isn't there for some individuals to accumulate an increasingly net positive position for the treasury it while others suck it dry to the best of their ability. That's not a sustainable system and eventually it collapses. You're already seeing evidence of it in NYC because too large a percentage of the budget is solely being used to service the welfare state.
That's too broad a statement. One of the major issues with the MTA is the lack of productivity. What this usually means in any organization is that some people actually work while many others don't. What usually happens in these types of orgs is that everyone gets lumped in together because that's how the parasites are able to hide.
I brought it up because there are people on this forum who also have lucrative retirement plans based off of the city’s tax base. Again, I don’t care, but to make a point that there are many cases where taxpayers money is okay to spend. If you pay taxes why shouldn’t one also benefit from them? Point in case, why am I paying 2k of Medicare tax per paycheck if I know my generation will not have access to social security when I retire? Why should I also be penalized because I don’t want a man in my life or children? So again, the “affordable” housing (I still pay thousands in rent) is my ROI for the time being.
I brought it up because there are people on this forum who also have lucrative retirement plans based off of the city’s tax base. Again, I don’t care, but to make a point that there are many cases where taxpayers money is okay to spend. If you pay taxes why shouldn’t one also benefit from them? Point in case, why am I paying 2k of Medicare tax per paycheck if I know my generation will not have access to social security when I retire? Why should I also be penalized because I don’t want a man in my life or children? So again, the “affordable” housing (I still pay thousands in rent) is my ROI for the time being.
You're mixing topics that should be separate. That's a favorite tactic of this that can't defend their position. There are gradations to everything.
Both murder and theft are crimes but are judged differently due to their impact on victims and society at large.
All you're putting forth is nonsensical excuses. Medicare and social security? Those are federal programs? What do they have to do with city welfare programs (they'll be around anyhow; the only question is in what capacity).
Moreover, if you don't have children/not planning to that's even worse. At least people with kids have a chance (probability increase with each child) of creating added value to society down the line.
If it's just you and then you're dead, it's literally parasitic if you're net negative for the Treasury over your lifetime.
Btw, if you're paying $2K for Medicare per paycheck, are you pulling in $138K per paycheck and living in affordable housing? Gotta redo your numbers there.
You're mixing topics that should be separate. That's a favorite tactic of this that can't defend their position. There are gradations to everything.
Both murder and theft are crimes but are judged differently due to their impact on victims and society at large.
All you're putting forth is nonsensical excuses. Medicare and social security? Those are federal programs? What do they have to do with city welfare programs (they'll be around anyhow; the only question is in what capacity).
Moreover, if you don't have children/not planning to that's even worse. At least people with kids have a chance (probability increase with each child) of creating added value to society down the line.
If it's just you and then you're dead, it's literally parasitic if you're net negative for the Treasury over your lifetime.
Btw, if you're paying $2K for Medicare per paycheck, are you pulling in $138K per paycheck and living in affordable housing? Gotta redo your numbers there.
So people who are responsible in not having children are parasitic? And yes, I do make pretty good cash. It's surprising that the city allows folks like myself affordable housing, right? The limit is actually 250K although I've never seen any lotteries go that high. You make far less than the lottery people over at Hunters Point South, right?
Interestingly enough when I lived in a rent stabilized apartment very little was done to renovate just the bare necessities. They raised our rent under capital improvements and the cost was added to our rent depending on how many rooms in the apt. It made sense and the increase would continue till something was paid off, fine with me becasue finally we had a working elevator. My problem truly, was the number of times myself and my neighbors had to go to court to prove we were the lease holder or something. I had a neighbor who lived in that building for 40 years and they seemed to take her to court ever 5-6 months with the same issue (well you name is not the name on the original lease and she would take out her marriage certificate, the death certificate for her husband the birth certificate for their kids everything that was needed and her name change when she married again which was what the lease was in and the death certificate for her second husband) and it would be back and forth it was ridiculous, I know this because I went to court with her a few times when she was ill. Funnily enough on this is the same building that failed to inform people that they were shutting down the elevator prior to the morning they shut it down. I had a neighbor who had gone into the hospital the day before and when she was released and came home found out there was no elevator and had to call the cops to get someone to assist with getting her upstairs to her apartment and then she was stuck in her apartment for the next 3 months becasue there was no elevator, in fact she was not the only one we had an 99 year old woman on the 2nd floor who had to have people carry her up and down the 2 flights of stairs no apologies no nothing till work was finished the day after everything was finished they sent out court papers to 50% of the building. The management company then took approx 50% of the building to court becasue rent had not been paid for the 3-4 months people had no elevator or access the interesting thing though was that the building did not tell their lawyers the whole story only that it was non-paymentof rent. I remember speaking with the lawyer for one of my elderly neighbors and they were had tp call management very confused about the information not given to them by the land lord. Luckily I had dates and time and they had to absorb 2 of the 3 months of no rent. We had been used to elevator issues but it was usually part of the day or a few hours randomly but out for 3 months with no notification that was really unfair and that affected all tenants not just RS. The other thing was that they were taking over or confiscating RS apt, remodel it and then rerent it at market price. The last 5 years I was there a min 10% of the apartments were in court usually for BS reasons they really were looking for every reason to get rid of people. I got tired of the theatrics and living next to the refuse room where people don't know how to dump their garbage properly opportunity came and I left no regret. I was so tired of them hounding me for BS reasons, I was ready to leave the building, I left paying 1K for a nice size 1 bedroom they then turned into a 2 bedroom and jacked it up to2250. Reading some of these arguments I do wonder if it is such a drain on LLs granted not all are in the same bracket. Thinking back to mine, I do wobnder how do they afford all those court dates and legal fees and in some cases payouts to get rid of people. it is really a mixed bag of greed and need and that is on both sides.
"Landlords say that the current price restrictions on stabilized housing robs them of the capital needed to make necessary repairs in older housing stock"
Aren't they losing even more money buy not renting them out though? They are getting $0 as opposed to something by renting them, no?
"They also have their eye on a federal lawsuit filed by two major industry groups, Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) and the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA), challenging the entire rent-regulation system as unconstitutional. "
"if the highest court undermines rent stabilization, could potentially reward landlords who’ve kept apartments vacant. Legal success for the landlords is a long shot, but some property owners say they’ll wait it out"
I would not be shocked if landlords are using the apartments as AirBnB instead of as rent stabilized apartments. This is happening with market rate apartments, which is why the market is tight for them as well.
Even if they are leaving the apartments vacant, it will cost them more in lost rent than they will make up in any court decision, which will be years down the road.
It will be a great day if rent regulation is deemed unconstitutional.
Yeah because ending rent regulations in Boston worked out SO well for making everything market rate. Prices skyrocketed. People priced out of their homes.
I would not be shocked if landlords are using the apartments as AirBnB instead of as rent stabilized apartments. This is happening with market rate apartments, which is why the market is tight for them as well.
Even if they are leaving the apartments vacant, it will cost them more in lost rent than they will make up in any court decision, which will be years down the road.
I actually read about a couple who did this, that might be what’s going on with some of these landlords
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