Ketchum, Idaho, Has Plenty of Available Jobs, but Workers Can’t Afford Housing

Re:Ketchum, Idaho, Has Plenty of Available Jobs, but Workers... by ericmay on Wednesday July 07, 2021 @11:53AM (#27762494)

Well, basically the restaurants will close or just start charging like $50 for a burger and fries. People will find a way. Like maybe they just won't have convenience stores, or restaurants, or w/e. That'll lower the quality of life, or people will just say it's not worth it to have those things in the town.

The free market (and voluntary association) is the only solution to this problem. And although I'm a pro-free market guy, I try to view things as what I think might be the best solution. Government intervention here won't work.

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Re:Ketchum, Idaho, Has Plenty of Available Jobs, but Workers... by SmellTheGlove on Wednesday July 07, 2021 @12:07PM (#27762675)

> Government intervention here won't work.

The government has already intervened by not permitting enough new construction. There is no free market there.

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Re:Ketchum, Idaho, Has Plenty of Available Jobs, but Workers... by ericmay on Wednesday July 07, 2021 @12:11PM (#27762726)

There is no truly free market anywhere anyway which isn't relevant to any conversation. And besides, you're demonstrating the point - the government already intervened. So there's no reasonable criticism of the free market to be had here, in fact, without government intervention there would be new and additional construction.

Anyway.

The government is made up of the citizens, it's their choice isn't it? At what point does that no longer become true? And if they've made their choice to not build more housing, then the market dynamics that follow that decision will come to bear. In this case maybe it's no stores or shops, or the citizens will have to pay extremely high prices for things.

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Re:Ketchum, Idaho, Has Plenty of Available Jobs, but Workers... by SmellTheGlove on Wednesday July 07, 2021 @01:08PM (#27763399)

> And besides, you're demonstrating the point - the government already intervened.

Yes, as the comment I'd responded to is worded to suggest the government hadn't yet intervened and such intervention wouldn't work. Otherwise, yeah, I agree with you.

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Re:Ketchum, Idaho, Has Plenty of Available Jobs, but Workers... by ericmay on Wednesday July 07, 2021 @01:18PM (#27763505)

You’re right, I suggested that in what I wrote. I was considering further intervention.

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