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Ballots vs. Bullets
Rent control has long been presented as a way to keep housing affordable. By forcing landlords to charge below market rates, rental housing is supposedly more affordable. But like any form of price cap, rent control ultimately leads to a lower supply of housing. However, this fact is irrelevant to many. Indeed, next week voters…
Leftists do not Value Producers
From Britain comes an interesting, though implicit, admission that Leftists do not value the producers. Vicky Spratt, the “housing correspondent” for i (an online newspaper published by the Daily Mail), calls for a housing strike. She argues that strikes force all of us–those in power and those who take the train or use the NHS…
Less than Ideal
In October 2020, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, city council enacted a citywide 100 percent affordable housing overly (AHO). The AHO allows apartment buildings up to four stories in all neighborhoods in the city. However, all units must be permanently affordable to households earning up to 100% of area median income. The standard for affordability is paying…
The Roundup 1
Mismatched Curtains Sometimes, the inanity of government regulations knows no bounds. As an example, Mildred Bryant, a resident of Pagedale, Missouri, was fined for having mismatched curtains. This might seem absurd, and it is, but in principle it is no different from hundreds of other regulations that control how individuals use their property. For example,…
Schumer Calls the Kettle Black
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently denounced a real estate company for its “predatory” practices in buying more than one-hundred apartment buildings in Brooklyn. Speaking to a group of tenants and other disgruntled rabblerousers, Schumer said, There is nothing more despicable than these predatory real estate equity firms trying to make billions of dollars on…
The Family Homestead Initiative
In November, Austin City Council approved the Family Homestead Initiative. According to the Austin Monitor, Council Member Delia Garza, who sponsored the measure, said she wants to create a separate permitting process for homeowners because they shouldn’t have to contend with the same regulations as large developers. Reducing regulations is always a good thing and…