When you live in a coop, you usually pay rent.

Where? Not in NY or SF, where co-ops are popular.

So what should exactly should those of us without the capital to buy or build our own houses do? Hit the road?

please feel free to start up a coop then. nothing is stopping you and your friends from doing that. have at it, and good luck.

edit: apparently some people don't like this comment because it means you have to help yourself instead of the gov't giving you other people's money. get a life.

We've banned this account for using HN primarily for political and ideological battle and ignoring our request not to do this.

Would you please not create accounts to break HN's rules with?

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html