chismosite:ottermatopoeia: swdyww:Can we ducking die alreadywhen i say “capitalists are disconnected
chismosite:ottermatopoeia: swdyww:Can we ducking die already when i say “capitalists are disconnected from reality” to clear up a lot of confusion I see in the notes, and also talk about something i’m passionate about:“affordable” is defined by the Area Median Income (the shittiest way possible to define it) E.g. In an area of 100 people, if 51 make $200,000 a year and 49 make $20,000 a year, the area median income would be $200,000, leaving 49% of people making only 10% of the AMI. An “affordable” apartment for an “Extremely Low Income” family would cost $60,000 a year, or more than 3x their annual income. Whenever people who make more than the AMI move in, the price of “affordable” goes up. This is why gentrification can occur with even 1 new unit at market rate (assuming it’s above AMI, which it almost always is), because it’ll increase the AMI. it gets worsethe federal government gives more aid to homeowners than renters. it gets even worseThe government gives more money to rich homeowners and households with the least need for government assistance. national trends show the divergence between rent price and renter income. You can’t save if you have no generational wealth and can’t find cheaper rent, and the government is more interested in redistributing wealth to the top Nixon and Reagan, the fathers of neoliberalism, helped to make sure you can’t afford rent, god forbid buy a home. And no president after them ever corrected it. If you think zoning changes, TOD, or densification can solve this, go back and read how “affordable” works.Solutions? Demand-side, welfare, and socialist reformsLivable minimum wage ($25/hr nationally)Strengthened tenants rightsHomeownership grants for low-income POCPublic housing constructionGuaranteed housingTax the richChanging mortgage tax codeGovernment acquisition of unoccupied unitsChanging the definition of Affordable to reflect minimum wageTake homes from the rich -- source link