Maybe you aren't a Republican or a Democrat. But surely you are either a Conservative or a Liberal or tend to be aren't you? What else is there?

So what's the alternative, keeping growing companies out of a community, thus having fewer jobs available and maybe making life harder for that convenience store owner or even driving him out of business? That makes a lot of sense.

New York City has kept rents for some apartments artificially low for decades with rent control laws. The result is that those apartments are held onto very tightly, sometimes by relatively wealthy people who could afford to pay more, and rent control has reduced the supply of market-rate units, which in turn has driven rents up for those apartments. So attempts to regulate rental rates don't always benefit those for whom they're intended.

There's not always a STOOPID EBIL GUBMINT POINTY-HEADED BUREAUCRAT involved. Sometimes shit just happens and it's nobody's fault.

I don't like labels , Rosie. I am just me.

I would agree with you. We can't cut taxes and complain that the schools or roads are poor! It makes no sense. I have no problem with taxes or helping the poor. I think we should, and I like services, money spent on roads, cancer research, hospitals, schools, colleges, low income housing, social security, mentally ill, prevention, rehabilitation, and help for the military and homeless but I am against the Government making moral decisions for individuals.

 

@Stu B -- I don't have a great alternative to rent control. A Great Unyielding Truth of life is that some places (New York City, San Francisco, etc.) are more desirable than other places (Rock Island, Illinois, Dubuque, Iowa, etc.), and because there are limits to how much housing one can pack in any geographic region, we end up with a (practically) unlimited demand/limited supply situation.

But at the same time, "Suck it up and deal. Life's unfair!" is not a solution. As previously noted, urban areas cannot survive entirely on rich people. Services vital to stable healthy societies are provided by non-rich people, and non-rich people need housing, too.

Until we invent Star Trek transporter technology, so that people can live an arbitrary distance from their place of employment, some imperfect compromises will need to be made between market forces and the needs of society.

You present your case very well m'dear.  You are very articulate and honestly much of what you say I agree with. But I am a Progressive Liberal even so. Thank you for taking the time to outline your views so comprehensively and also for providing specific examples of what you  mean. That is most helpful and I appreciate it. Happy Sunday Livvie!  :)

Thank you for your reply Sharonna. I checked out the Green Party and the Peace and Freedom Party and I agree with them more than the Dems. Even so I consider myself to be a Progressive Liberal. Happy Sunday! :)

True. But we all have tendencies toward or preferences for Marguerite which are sometimes inconsistent to be sure but more often aren't. Thank you for your reply and Happy Sunday!  :)

I totally and completely agree with thee PeaPod. I used to think of myself as a Dem but now I think of myself as a Progressive Liberal. Thank you for your reply m'dear and Happy Sunday!    :)

Thank you for your reply Polk and Happy Sunday!  :)

Thank you for your answer Ele. So you would have liked Rand Paul to run for prez?  Happy  Sunday! :)

 I've heard that before StuB. Fiscal Conservative and Social Liberal. So maybe  you can answer this question for me. As a fiscal conservative  would you vote to fund social programs or reject them? They seem sorta mutually exclusive to me so I would like to understand what it really means. Thank you for your reply and Happy Sunday to thee!  :)

I have never really understood what fiscal conservative/social liberal means. As a fiscal conservative you would vote against funding social programs. As a social liberal you would vote FOR funding them. So which one prevails and why? It's confusing because they seem to be mutually exclusive.  Thank you for your reply OS and Happy Sunday!   :)

Well according to what I've heard excon there are communities where RENT CONTROL still prevails. Surprisingly I recently heard that Santa Monica (a gorgeous city) is among them. Thank you for your reply and Happy Sunday!  :)

We may have the same POTENTIAL BSurf but we all definitely  have preferences and prejudices and lean toward some views and are repelled by some views. We are all human beings. Yes. After that it's a crapshoot. Some only play with loaded dice. Others never do. Thank you for your reply and Happy  Sunday!  :)

 I have heard that from others Uc and I completely/totally/unquivocally/absolutely disagree. There are  some very fine labels. Kind, strong, fair, honest, honorable, intelligent, funny, thoughtful. That is just the tip of the iceberg. We use labels as shorthand  as we do stereotypes. I find nothing wrong with labels. I am grateful/appreciative/lucky/curious/friendly. I can also be impatient/unfair/angry/hot-tempered/unkind/dismissive/bullheaded. None of those labels upsets me because they are all true at some point or another. So we disagree. So what? Now I label you intelligent/thoughtful/knowledgeable/helpful/friendly/informed. Which of those labels bothers you and why? I think I just beat a dead horse. I guess you get my drift.  Thank you for your reply and Happy Sunday to thee Uc!  :)            

Thank you for your reply Carazaa and Happy Sunday! :)

But, Rosie, as I wrote in my above comment, rent control in places like NYC causes people to hold tight to those apartments, some of whom are rather wealthy and could afford to pay more, so it doesn't help those it's supposed to.

 Good point StuB. But you don't really expect anyone actually paying more for something than he/she has  to least of all the wealthy folks. How d'ya suppose they got wealthy?  Not by being bleeding hearts and feeling for others but being totally and completely enveloped in self-interest. I don't fault them. They are typical. The atypical ones do care very much about fair. Sadly they aren't the ones with the power and influence. Thank you for your reply and Happy Monday!  :)