Scattershots – 10feb16 (updated 12feb16)

George Rebane

NPR reported this morning that the state’s Legislative Analyst Office has concluded that California’s housing shortage is primarily caused by an insufficient number of “market priced” (i.e. low cost) houses being built due regulatory impediments and the state’s mandates for requiring ‘affordable houses’ that must integrated into regular developments and subsidized with non-existent funds.  Hence CA housing prices continue to be highest in the nation due to the government caused housing shortage which keeps the low and middle income workers from owning their own homes because demand for existing homes has pushed prices out of the range for which they can qualify for financing.  But RR readers have known this for years; it’s only the dolts (aka progressive elites) in Sacramento who don’t have a clue (or do they?).

February is Black History Month, and a time to again acknowledge how a certain political coalition keeps those blacks on the perennial plantation to assure a reliable block of votes come election time.  Abetting that liberal contingent is a cohort of professional straw bosses of Sharpton (with whom Sanders had breakfast today) and Jackson ilk whose diligent work, in the “lucrative industry” that keeps their flocks ignorant, is appreciated with considerable recognition, perks, and income.

Columnist and scholar Jason Riley clarifies matters in ‘An Alternative Black History Month’ that describes this industry as “using racial identity to advance groupthink and to discourage black individuality. It is about presenting the history of blacks as the history of their victimization by whites up to the present day—which explains racial disparities in areas ranging from school achievement and household income to rates of unemployment, incarceration and single-parent homes.”  Riley cites eye-opening statistics about black progress and the existence of its large ante-Great Society middle class.  But today “you don’t hear much about this black history during Black History Month (or any other month, for that matter) because it undercuts the dominant narrative pushed by the political left and accepted uncritically by the media.”  Gotta keep ‘em grumbling and compliant.

The ‘Left-Right Revolt’ continues to be the ideological gorilla in the nation, demonstrating to the tin-ear Purple Purveyors that we definitely are no longer the America that emerged from the Great Depression after WW2.  I believe that still-tarnished yet golden age, the one before the Great Society kicked in, to have been perhaps the pinnacle of how human society could manage positive change without fracturing.  Today we have two populist champions with large dedicated followings that could not be more apart in their vision and hopes for our country’s future.  The muddled middle remains an ideological wasteland with a rare politician (Kasich?) wishing to again assemble us there while outlining principles and policies that neither pole can digest, and that remind many of Rodney King’s exhortation.

Multiculturalism's latest pushback.  The Dutch parliament is putting new laws in place that recognize the damage their 6% and growing Muslim population is doing to their culture and way of life.  Besides halting unregulated in-migration, they are introducing new criteria for foreigners assimilating into their society - learning Dutch is key.  Meanwhile Pope Francis will visit Mexico and stick a thumb in America's eye by celebrating mass to promote borderless migration 90 yards from our border.  What a guy!

[11feb16 update]  Here's an Exhibit A on the newest generation of voters about whose intellect and knowledge base I have been reporting to you in recent weeks - I give you the millennials: TaDaaa!!

[12feb16 update]  And now we present Venezuela where "dying infants, chronic power outages and empty shelves mark the world’s worst-performing economy" as the harbinger of the country Bernie Sanders promises to create for us (here).

 

Comments

[Gregory]

Every house that sells is at its market price.

Love the authentic bureaucratic gibberish.

[Bill Tozer]

The Left-Right Revolt.

http://theextract.net/2016/02/03/professor-blames-failed-educational-system-for-bernie-sanders-popularity/

[Bill Tozer]

C
https://www.facebook.com/Anarchyball/photos/a.638165932877746.1073741826.628208987206774/1170108043016863/?type=3&theater

[George Rebane]

Gregory 1240am - then what should we call the dollar amount at which an 'affordable house', built to minimum govt specs at a cost which cannot be covered by its mandated max selling price, changes ownership?

[Walt]

Great question Dr. "affordable" to whom???? Four cargo containers fitted to dwelling specs
is a real cheap way to go.
Now don't forget the powers that be, want to build "affordable" housing (welfare condos)
right here in PV. Where there is no one looking to hire. There is even empty commercial space that's been vacant for "ever".(since it was built) Yet a great location.

Here in "the valley", you can't swing a dead Progressive without hitting a for sale sign.

[Todd Juvinall]

I have tried to build a "affordable" housing project here and was defeated by limousine liberals. Peter Van Zant and Paul Emery defeated me. But who did they really defeat? Rents are really high here, wages are quite low. So these liberals have a choice. They always choose the government subsidized housing and defeat the free market. Amazing hypocrites.

The liberals put in place so much regulation and require so much time to go through the process they defeat most attempts to build free market housing. Then they have made it so onerous they then put in place subsidies to overcome their own regulatory requirements. Circle jerks all. Government at it best, paralysis.

[Gregory]

George, if everyone is allowed to build affordable homes, it all works out.

If someone is not allowed to sell their house at a profit, they weren't buying it in the first place.

Regarding Walts 11:18, there's a business mini-mall and park near the old Vegas Strip built entirely out of cargo containers... two or three stories. It isn't that great an idea when put into practice. Better to melt the things down and make new stuff in shapes that have more utility.

[George Rebane]

Gregory 137pm - ??

[Todd Juvinall]

Gregory is spot on about government subsidized housing. When I looked into it the person buying had to sign a deed restriction that if there was an increase in value and they wanted to sell the proceeds went to the government. And that was for 40 years!

[George Rebane]

ToddJ 217pm - I don't see a clear distinction in this discussion between 'affordable housing' (a government mediated enterprise) and 'low cost housing' (a private enterprise responding to market demand). Have you ever known a time when someone was NOT allowed to build affordable housing? Building low cost housing that the market would snap up in a heartbeat has been prohibited for some years now. However, building 'affordable housing' is now in trouble because it has never been available at a price that is agreed upon by the seller and buyer - it has always required a third party (i.e. govt) to enter, prescribe the rules for the deal, and then supply some of the purchase price for the buyer.

We are told that money for those subsidies has run out in California, so developments with mandated affordable housing units are not being built because without govt subsidies the targeted poor cannot afford their affordable houses. And they cannot be sold at a higher price to people who can afford them. This crap goes on because most people don't understand the difference between affordable housing and low cost housing.

[Bill Tozer]

Hey, that last gas tax was for the Bullet Train and 600,000 low income housing units. Where did da mula go? The next gas tax will be for potholes And bridges, I hope.

Speaking about building bridges, taxes, and Black History Month, it's time again for the libs do a lot of butt snoozing.

https://www.facebook.com/SeanHannity/photos/a.10150746729155389.726790.69813760388/10156627455105389/?type=3

[Bill Tozer]

Concerning the update: Ah, a place where George Carlin would get run out of town.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/liberal-but-not-tolerant-on-the-nations-college-campuses/2016/02/11/0f79e8e8-d101-11e5-88cd-753e80cd29ad_story.html

[Gregory]

Regarding the 11th update, Jimmy Kimmel, when co-hosting the Man Show a decade+ ago often did the same sort of thing... it was amazing how many women signed his Petition to End Women's Suffrage when asked.

[Gregory]

Regarding GR's ??, a big problem is zoning, and "Snob Zones" are a distortion of the market in the first place. Think Mr. Purple's distress over a plain Granny Flat that ruined the view from his bathroom window or some such.

Reason has a review of "Snob Zones" in their article, "Zoning Kills Affordable Housing: How established homeowners use regulations to stop new low-cost homes".
http://reason.com/archives/2013/05/07/zoning-kills-affordable-housing

[Account Deleted]

re: Master Tozer at 8:04 - Can you imagine Lenny Bruce or Dick Gregory appearing at a college or university today? Please, everyone - they're not libs or liberals - they're lefties and they're fascists.
On web sites controlled by left-wing types, Constitutionally mandated freedoms and legal items are routinely verboten. All you lefties must be proud.

[Bill Tozer]

What in the tarnation is going on? No more Richard Pryor on the 8 track? There outta be a law.

[Account Deleted]

Or National Lampoon or Cheech and Chong or a whole host of comedians.
Today, they call all of that 'micro aggressions'.
Bad, very bad. Must be eliminated. Part of the left wing 'inclusiveness'. See? They 'include' what they don't like or understand into a mixed bag of stuff that must be suppressed or banned. So it's all 'inclusive'.