Is now a good time to start discussing making prostitution legal?

Posted by: JoshK at July 31, 2006 2:46 PM in response to More on Hotel Deal, Shooting on Downing

I'm just trying to point out that the subways wouldn't be in such bad shape if we could use some of the $ for something besides union benefits. There's little going for captial improvements. But that's a separate problem

As far as rich people having the nicest views, that is part of life. People with the most money (or willingness to spend it) get the nicest (or at least most expensive) things. High-floor water views, Ashton-Martins, Nordstroms, etc. Trying to change that has always been counterproductive, creating shortages, black markets, poverty, etc. See NYC housing for a good example of that.

My point in saying that housing prices have fallen is to point out to you that "greedy" developers don't have any special ability to raise or lower prices.

The essense of communism is the expansion of the state to try to control what would normally be the free choices of individuals. Sometimes we have to have rules and laws to protect people, but there is a mile of difference between protecting people from a robbery and forcing businesses and consumers to do counterproductive things.

And, if we are all really honest with ourselves, you can look at all of the government controlled or regulated housing and compare it to the grand old stuff, like the brownstones, etc, and see who we trust more to make nice things.

Posted by: JoshK at July 21, 2006 2:40 PM in response to Housing and Planning Groups Release new Study

Bx2Bklyn,

Developers can't make housing more expensive. If they could, why stop there? And why let prices fall as they are starting to in many areas?

Whenever housing sells for far above it's cost to create, as it does here, that is because groups like these above create a limited supply.

There's a bizzare system of rules, requirements, and incentives that these commies have erected to the property business here and we pay dearly for that. The fact that developers try to take advantage of that is just another argument for ending it completly.

The city resources are failing because they are dominated by unions that take the money for their memberships. Witness the lass incident with the TWU. "Surplus you say? Give it to us or we shut you down!"

Posted by: JoshK at July 21, 2006 12:13 PM in response to Housing and Planning Groups Release new Study

Oh, and Brazil is a great movie about the future where government commities and unions take over everything. To get anything done, you need to then break the law. To get your plumbing fixed you need to get an underground plumber, who comes by at the dead of night...

Posted by: JoshK at July 21, 2006 9:45 AM in response to Housing and Planning Groups Release new Study

I think you're being pretty naive if you think that 99% of these rules and planning organizations do anything positive for anyone.

It's a big leap of faith to go from thinking that we need laws against murder to think that we need organizations to decide how tall buildings can be and where they should be placed.

It's an even bigger leap of faith to think that they would be successful at doing this. All they really succeed at is making housing more expensive.

Posted by: JoshK at July 21, 2006 9:40 AM in response to Housing and Planning Groups Release new Study

"Citizen's Housing and Planning Council" ? "Regional Plan Association" ?

Someone's got to see Brazil. Groups like this are why housing is so damn expensive here.

Posted by: JoshK at July 20, 2006 10:52 AM in response to Housing and Planning Groups Release new Study