Category Archives: Housing

Michael Bloomberg and Lead Poisoning

Posted on December 20, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Maybe he’s not the gifted politician he believes he is (boldface mine): The Harlem mother had spent a decade crusading against landlords whose neglect of lead paint hazards had poisoned thousands of kids, including her youngest son. Michael Bloomberg, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Conservatives, Housing, Public Health | Comments Off on Michael Bloomberg and Lead Poisoning

Assumptions and Rent Control

Posted on December 18, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

In an excellent piece of public testimony by economist J.W. Mason about why the assumption that rent control will lead to bad economic outcomes, one of the key things he does is challenge the assumptions of the argument (boldface mine): … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing | 3 Comments

Hospitals, Housing, and a Failure of Governance

Posted on October 10, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

It appears that hospitals are getting into the housing the homeless business (boldface mine): In the first half of this year alone, the hospital treated more than 100 long-term patients. All had a medical issue that led to their initial … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Healthcare, Homelessness, Housing | Comments Off on Hospitals, Housing, and a Failure of Governance

Pity the Poor Couple Who Make $450,000 Per Year: Housing Costs Are Too Damn High

Posted on October 3, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

It has been a while since we’ve seen a remake of the ‘Pity the Poor Couple Who Make Hundreds of Thousands Per Year‘ column, but a couple of weeks ago, CNBC decided to bring sexy it back! This graphic explains … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing | 12 Comments

The Nextdoor Presidency

Posted on September 19, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

When the left, construed very broadly, fails at governance (which isn’t the same as legislating), it creates room for very bad actors to offer superficial solutions which lead to very bad things. But I’m getting ahead of myself. By ‘Nextdoor’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Democrats, Homelessness, Housing | Comments Off on The Nextdoor Presidency

Camps for the Homeless and the Political Consequences of Failed Governance

Posted on September 12, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Recently, Trump has tried to make homelessness in cities a political issue. Of course, being Trump, his solution is horrible, as it involves shipping the homeless to camps–and this has gone beyond the bullshitting stage, with officials touring unused federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Conservatives, Democrats, Fucking Morons, Homelessness, Housing | 1 Comment

Accountability, Arrogance, and NIMBY

Posted on July 11, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Over the long weekend, there was a fantastic article about a key element of the housing crisis in many urban metropolitan areas: NIMBY progressives (NIMBY stands for Not In My Back Yard). This is one reason, among many, why I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, Housing, Progressives, Urban Planning | Comments Off on Accountability, Arrogance, and NIMBY

You Can’t Have Gentrification Without a Gentry Class: The SALT Edition

Posted on June 13, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Yes, not enough housing can bid up prices. But as we’ve been saying for years, you can’t have gentrification without a gentry class. In other words, housing prices, in part, are expensive because the gentry class is able to afford … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Taxes | 1 Comment

Housing and National Democrats

Posted on June 11, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

To date, only Booker, Harris, Sanders, and Warren have discussed housing (Booker, Harris, and Warren have published plans). Booker last week added a feature to his–he penalizes cities that zone exclusively for single-family housing (boldface mine): Under Booker’s proposal, cities … Continue reading →

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Housing, Crises, and Cronyism

Posted on June 4, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

A few years ago, I noted that D.C.’s Mayor Bowser, while committed to ending homelessness and building more housing, proposed a plan that was essentially payback her campaign contributors, while costing far too much for housing. Well, she is consistent … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, DC, Housing | Comments Off on Housing, Crises, and Cronyism