Re:Approaching Peak Housing Dysfunction in California
by throwawaysea on Thursday July 25, 2019 @05:08PM
(#20529724)
Again, why does it need to grow? There seem to be people in this thread expecting that unchecked human population growth is a sure sign of progress. It isn't. And our current population levels are also unsustainable.
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Re:Approaching Peak Housing Dysfunction in California
by pcwalton on Thursday July 25, 2019 @05:31PM
(#20529977)
Because otherwise the social safety net--Medicare and Social Security included--will collapse.
Maybe we shouldn't have those programs structured as they are now. But we do, and a shock to the system will result in unprecedented economic misery and social instability. If we want to talk about how to deal with demographic change, there's an important long-term conversation to be had about preserving the social safety net. But any solution that wants to avoid a potentially-catastrophic economic crisis must have a serious, realistic answer for this. Not building housing is a fundamentally unserious policy, driven by a preference for the suburban lifestyle and the fear of change more than any realistic concerns about sustainability.