FROM A FACEBOOK CONVERSATION:
MaryAnn McCarra: My letter, appearing in The Journal News…….
Renew rent law before it expires | The Journal News | LoHud.com
http://www.lohud.com/article/20110413/OPINION/104130310/1016/OPINION02/Renew-rent-law-before-expires
Renew rent law before it expires
Apr 13, 2011
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It is my understanding that there is an effort afoot to weaken and abolish the current rent regulations as of June 15, when rent-stabilization laws are set to expire. This will create an exceptionally unlevel playing field where landlords will be able to increase rents to unaffordable levels, essentially displacing tenants in order to offer those living spaces to the highest bidder. This is simply not playing with a straight bat.
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FJohn Reinke: “And, just out of curiosity, don’t you think that “rent control” is a little un-American. Suppose that the Gooferment decides that renters have to pay more. Would that be fair? And, might the cost of all this “control” be excessive. A landlord might stop renting when the effort becomes too much. I guess you don’t have too much faith in the Free Market to keep prices at “reasonable levels”. Did you know that “rent control” originated out of the World War 2 wage and price controls? WW2’s been over for a while, think they are still needed. If they ever were. No, politicians use “rent control” to reward people for voting for them at the expense of liberty. And extort from both the landlords and renters. Besides, one can always move? What’s the landlord’s relief? Thou shalt not steal. :-) But what did you expect from a little L libertarian?”
MaryAnn McCarra: “Given the cost of housing in our area–Westchester County–and the general scarcity of rental housing, in particular (many former apartments are now co-ops), nope, I don’t believe that the free market would create conditions where working families (and those only earning minimum wage, perhaps…and those who are disabled and/or elderly) would be able to find affordable housing should their current landlords increase their rents measurably. We are a family of five paying $1425.00 a month, currently, for a very small two-bedroom apartment….and houses in our area start at 400K-500K. My husband works in Manhattan….should he have a three hour commute, each way, so that we can live somewhere we can afford? Just my humble opinion! (I always enjoy hearing your opinions, too……each side, every opinion…should be heard!)”
FJohn Reinke: “See coops are just one of the market’s reactions to “rent control”. Unfortunately, the Gooferment’s use of force to “manage rents” has a predictable effect. Any time there are “price controls”, there are “shortages” and other market imbalances. Like the apocryphal butcher with the thumb on the scale, it’s the consumer who gets “weenied”. That’s an injineering term for getting less than you should. Imagine a free market since WW2 that would have allowed everyone to freely find what is best for them. Without the Gooferment’s “help”. p.s., FYI “price controls” on milk mean that you are paying far more for milk than you would in free market. So, if the Gooferment just left everyone alone, then we’d all be better off. Compare a gallon of milk to a gallon of gas. It’s nowhere near as costly to make milk as it is gas. So, we’ve been getting “weenied” on that one for a long long time. Cui bono? The politicians and bureaucrats!”
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