Fermion

joined 2 years ago
[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It disincentivizes speculative holding and buying up inventory to reduce supply without demonstrated demand. Large landlords are willing to sit on vacant inventory in order to keep market rates high. By penalizing holding units vacant, that should incentivise either setting more competitive rents, or selling/not buying excess inventory.

In markets where there is a true undersupply of inventory and there aren't vacancies then, yes, this policy wouldn't have much benefit.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's why the homestead credit would only be payable to the resident. Residency is what matters here not the paper owner.

I won't claim there aren't potential loopholes in a casually described plan, but the one you brought up doesn't apply without fraudulent claims of residency.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Currently, large corporate landlords are willing to let housing units sit empty vs letting market rates drop. A company with 500 units makes the same amount leasing 400 units at $1500/mo as they would leasing 470 units at $1300/mo and they have less overhead. The realpage software lets them coordinate with all the other corporate landlords without direct communication.

The reason I think this policy would help renters is by making vacant units significantly more expensive and pushing corporate property managers to actually compete rather than sit on vacancies.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (9 children)

I think I'd rather see this adressed on the property tax side with a homestead tax exemption. Let counties and municipalities significantly raise property tax rates then offer homestead tax rebates to the primary resident. Maybe even offer a monthly rebate to match rent/mortgage payments. Rent would go up, but the rebate should match the rent increase.

This would make empty units, short term rentals, and vacation home more expensive to hold on to compared to being pccupied by a long term resident. This would also let each region decide on the ratio of occupied vs unoccupied net property tax rates to dial in what works for them. A coastal community might have a much different equilibrium point than a suburb to a big city for example.

A lot of areas already have homestead exemptions for seniors and low income residents, so it doesn't even require much in terms of new legal frameworks.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 53 points 3 months ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

Early 90's here and I think the passage of the Patriot Act was a pretty important demarcation line, not just for abandonment of due process, but also when all the major networks embraced telling their audience who to hate.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 12 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Large companies should be treated like borderless states. When they wield the resources and manpower of a small country, their coercive and subversive abilities should not be ignored.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 5 points 4 months ago

Ground hornets pattern match too. I had a massive nest I had never noticed in an old stump. They hadn't bothered me despite having walked by numerous times. Then one time I hit the nest with the riding mower. Man that sucked. I'm not outright allergic, but a dozen stings does make me feel sick. After that, anytime I got within 20ft of the nest with the mower they would come out in force.

Then a few years later I had the same thing happen with a raised garden bed. They never bothered me and I didn't even know they were there, until my weedwacker attacked the entrance of the nest. I had to steer clear of that section of the garden for a few weeks after.

Ground hornets are horrible.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 52 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Surely the second commandment was more of a suggestion.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 2 points 5 months ago

This is functionally equivalent to truck nuts. Just because it's gold doesn't make it not tacky.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 8 points 5 months ago

And they will make sure to continue to not know a single thing about what was said. Ignorance isn't a valid legal defence, but it sure is a common deflection tactic these days. Law makers have a professional and ethical obligation to become informed on the issues their constituents care about, but it seems like it's rare to find one that remembers that obligation.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 4 points 8 months ago

Will Forte. His voice and "quirky" style I find just irritating and not at all amusing.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 14 points 8 months ago

"Fancy graphics" also doesn't correlate well with how visually appealing a game is. I would take Ori graphics over CoD any day.

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