Something like a 0% interest loan from the government seems more fair here, but much harder to implement.
No, the middle class family benefits because there isn’t an army of homeless people in their city.
If landlords find their speculation doesn’t pay off, I’m not harmed. If millions of people are evicted, we are all harmed.
This specific way (and all the other bailouts the US does) wrecks people who are responsible and save. But it should be clear to everyone by now that holding USD and playing it safe are the losing positions, as all risk will be socialized and profit will be privatized.
Not playing the game means losing.
"I had known I was going to get a bailout I would have purposely not met my contractual obligations" isn't really the best argument.
No so hard to understand.
If you would have stopped paying then you're just mad that you didn't get out of your obligations and sacrificed when you didn't have to and feel like because of that you deserve it more, not that meeting one's obligations is something holy.
I understand the anger. But we're supposed to take a step back and not be jealous about good things happening to others.
Good for the people that didn't sacrifice and had a better quality life during COVID as a result. How could I ever wish anything else on them?
A tech worker could basically stop paying rent, stating they've been effected by COVID, even if they weren't, or if it was short-term, and then basically collect their tech salary check's while not paying rent.
They _could_ pay, chose not to, and reaped the benefits.
Plenty of rich people shoplift. It doesn't mean you should too.
A percentage of people park in handicap spaces when they legally shouldn't. Some people feel entitled and will take advantage of any situation.
You had to be that person above and still have the foresight to see this coming to pull off this scam.
Back to your example of shoplifting: If it’s a riot and looting is happening, then even people who normally wouldn’t steal or commit often join in. It’s mob mentality. “If everyone is doing it, why can’t I?”
By your logic if everyone but you get a $10,000 check you haven’t been punished? That’s ridiculous.
The reason to forgive any kind of debt is because the economic benefit of doing so it better than the alternative. Not because it's a reward for people who deserve it.
Idk if that changes anything but I think it’s worth pointing out.
every time the government alters the fair-market price for things, a transfer of wealth is created. sometimes for the better. but yeah, in every case, someone is getting boned.
at least this is only addressing the past and not creating upside-down incentives going forward. if the state said they were paying off any delinquent rent going forward, then only a fool would pay their rent. although, I'm sure a lot of people are making a mental note for themselves to stop paying rent the next time there is a state of emergency.
Well, then this program should be welcome news. Instead of wrecking the lives of millions of people and turning them all out on the street, they instead get to keep their lives and careers and continue to pay taxes. Even if you ignored the incalculable misery a mass-eviction scenario would create, it wouldn't surprise me if paying off everyone's unpaid rent is actually cheaper than mass evictions, when the total cost of handling the resulting mass homelessness is taken into consideration.
I wasn't really objecting to the initiative necessarily, just lamenting the fact that the people who decided to sacrifice more to keep their rent paid up during a tough time instead of just letting it slide hoping they can figure something out later are the ones that aren't really gaining anything here. I don't know what the best solution would be here.
That is how it harms people. Even worse, it harms only the most responsible people.
Whether you view it as an ethical win or a practical one, reducing homelessness helps all of us.
Or if I live in a people-that-didn't-just-get-a-million-dollars-go-instantly-homeless-with-their-entire-family community, this is another big win for me. What a boon to the economy, and man we all just dodged a massive bullet.
Like, if you're worried about the inflation shock that would create, then the same people who have the power to give a million dollars to everyone but me would certainly have the power to raise interest rates and take other measures to prevent the sudden mass availability of wealth from wrecking havoc on the economy. But that's a separate topic, and if I'm affected negatively by this, I'd be upset at the powers that be for failing to mitigate the negative consequences of their actions. I wouldn't be upset at all at the hundreds of millions of people who are suddenly wealthy.
Your company gives bonus to everyone except you.
There are plenty of ways for the state to use this money to benefit everyone instead of only landlords.
Yeah, somebody is harmed. First, it's unfair. Second, you are competing for the same resources (house and etc.). Now you are at disadvantage.
opportunity cost?
The people who haven't paid their rent have done so by and large because they couldn't afford it, not because they just chose not to. Paying off their rent helps those people, the people who couldn't afford to pay it themselves, and ensures they don't lose their housing as a result.
It certainly is true that landlords benefit from this package as they get their money, as opposed to an alternative like forcing all rent debts to be forgiven. But "landlords benefit" isn't a harm.
Perhaps a more equitable solution would have been to determine the median rent across the state and then give that amount of money to all renters. But that has a lot of difficulties, such as how do you handle folks who rented only for part of this time (including those who had to stop renting due to job loss). And what about folks who own their homes and are dealing with mortgages; paying off rent is likely to be more accepted by non-renters than a plan where non-renters get money and renters don't. Of course, the plan could be extended to people with mortgages too. Or heck, just give this money to every person over 18 (or 21?) in the state. This would presumably significantly expand the costs involved in the plan though, but it would certainly be the most equitable.