>Much has been written about rent control over the years. Proponents argue that it strengthens the rights of tenants so that the landlords cannot drive them out by unreasonable rents while critics argue that it reduces the supply of rental apartments and creates housing shortages
Rent control is theft. Its immoral. End of discussion.
No, not necessarily. You seem to assume that being able to charge any price for a good is a right, and that restricting prices is theft. If so, that's utter nonsense. Theft entails a loss of value. Thus, if I take $100 from you but give you nothing in return of equal value, then that is obviously theft. If I impose a regulation that you must sell your house below its value, that is theft. But if I restrict housing sales to, let's say, market value, then no theft has occurred. And if I cannot sell produce above its value in the supermarket, then I am not being robbed either. Indeed, it would be immoral to charge prices high above the value, especially during periods of need. Indeed, during times of famine, if you had a stockpile of food in a warehouse somewhere, it would not be theft to take it.
> during times of famine, if you had a stockpile of food in a warehouse somewhere, it would not be theft to take it.
There has never been a famine in capitalist America. Famine is the product of the lack of rationality and individual rights. Altruism is the base for your malevolent economics in which emergencies are normal. For 300K years, mortality was late teens to 30. Now, the UN just said that global obesity is increasing.
It is impossible to sell something above market value.
Because market value is determined by a willing buyer and a willing seller agreeing on a price. If neither is unwilling, it isn't a "sale" to begin with.
My economics is an induction from perception-based ideas, not an assumption. Your economics is a rationalization of the evasion of mans free will mind, the basic cause of production. And a rationalization of death-worshipping altruist sacrifice. Man has a selfish moral right to his life. Morality is a guide to life, not to the sacrifice of life. Thats the moral base of economics.
Value is a product of the mind, not a manifestation of a mystical society. There is no intrinsic value. There is no value floating in the air, to be equally or equitably shared by communists or nihilists. Market value is the integration of prices created by VOLUNTARY trade among rational producers. Capitalisms mere 300 years has produced vastly more than the prior 300,000 years of mysticism and govt controls. You evade that for sarifice. Your "charge any price" is a package-deal of price offered and price accepted,which may be the same or different. Theft is basically force, not basically a value loss, which may result from a bad investment, accident, market changes,etc. Your economics is a rationalizzation of theft from producers. Capitalism is the only moral economics because its consistent w/man as a rational animal who must reason to live. Govt is a gun in your face, not your kindly uncle Fred with goodies for the kiddies. Look out at reality, not inward, Focus your mind.
Capitalism; The UNKNOWN Ideal-Ayn Rand
Yaron Brook Show-ex-finance prof discusses current events, inc/economics.
Thanks for the comments. My aim with the article was to show what the long-term effects of rent control are in a kind of natural experiment of the state of Sweden.
As regards the situation during the crisis, I would recommend Sowell's comments on it in "Basic economics" where he argues that so called "price hikes" are actually super important during times of crisis since it more correctly reflects the demand. If housing prices are restricted during times of crisis, then you might not want to move to live with your cousins since you can afford to keep your apartment.
Mises said that each govt "money" inflation is destructive in a way specific to each concrete economic situation. He concluded that the concrete path of a depression cant be predicted because, I believe, economies were too complex. You, I believe, think that rent control in Sweden is destructive in the way specific to its economy. Agreed.
> Of course, the larger cities had local regulations. These limited the maximum height of buildings and maximum width of streets. Most buildings in the past were made from timber and such regulations were meant to prevent local fires from spreading and destroying the entire city
How does a limit on the maximum width of streets help prevent fires from spreading? Wouldn't wider be better?
>Much has been written about rent control over the years. Proponents argue that it strengthens the rights of tenants so that the landlords cannot drive them out by unreasonable rents while critics argue that it reduces the supply of rental apartments and creates housing shortages
Rent control is theft. Its immoral. End of discussion.
No, not necessarily. You seem to assume that being able to charge any price for a good is a right, and that restricting prices is theft. If so, that's utter nonsense. Theft entails a loss of value. Thus, if I take $100 from you but give you nothing in return of equal value, then that is obviously theft. If I impose a regulation that you must sell your house below its value, that is theft. But if I restrict housing sales to, let's say, market value, then no theft has occurred. And if I cannot sell produce above its value in the supermarket, then I am not being robbed either. Indeed, it would be immoral to charge prices high above the value, especially during periods of need. Indeed, during times of famine, if you had a stockpile of food in a warehouse somewhere, it would not be theft to take it.
I am not impressed with liberal notions.
> during times of famine, if you had a stockpile of food in a warehouse somewhere, it would not be theft to take it.
There has never been a famine in capitalist America. Famine is the product of the lack of rationality and individual rights. Altruism is the base for your malevolent economics in which emergencies are normal. For 300K years, mortality was late teens to 30. Now, the UN just said that global obesity is increasing.
It is impossible to sell something above market value.
Because market value is determined by a willing buyer and a willing seller agreeing on a price. If neither is unwilling, it isn't a "sale" to begin with.
My economics is an induction from perception-based ideas, not an assumption. Your economics is a rationalization of the evasion of mans free will mind, the basic cause of production. And a rationalization of death-worshipping altruist sacrifice. Man has a selfish moral right to his life. Morality is a guide to life, not to the sacrifice of life. Thats the moral base of economics.
Value is a product of the mind, not a manifestation of a mystical society. There is no intrinsic value. There is no value floating in the air, to be equally or equitably shared by communists or nihilists. Market value is the integration of prices created by VOLUNTARY trade among rational producers. Capitalisms mere 300 years has produced vastly more than the prior 300,000 years of mysticism and govt controls. You evade that for sarifice. Your "charge any price" is a package-deal of price offered and price accepted,which may be the same or different. Theft is basically force, not basically a value loss, which may result from a bad investment, accident, market changes,etc. Your economics is a rationalizzation of theft from producers. Capitalism is the only moral economics because its consistent w/man as a rational animal who must reason to live. Govt is a gun in your face, not your kindly uncle Fred with goodies for the kiddies. Look out at reality, not inward, Focus your mind.
Capitalism; The UNKNOWN Ideal-Ayn Rand
Yaron Brook Show-ex-finance prof discusses current events, inc/economics.
Thanks for the comments. My aim with the article was to show what the long-term effects of rent control are in a kind of natural experiment of the state of Sweden.
As regards the situation during the crisis, I would recommend Sowell's comments on it in "Basic economics" where he argues that so called "price hikes" are actually super important during times of crisis since it more correctly reflects the demand. If housing prices are restricted during times of crisis, then you might not want to move to live with your cousins since you can afford to keep your apartment.
Mises said that each govt "money" inflation is destructive in a way specific to each concrete economic situation. He concluded that the concrete path of a depression cant be predicted because, I believe, economies were too complex. You, I believe, think that rent control in Sweden is destructive in the way specific to its economy. Agreed.
> Of course, the larger cities had local regulations. These limited the maximum height of buildings and maximum width of streets. Most buildings in the past were made from timber and such regulations were meant to prevent local fires from spreading and destroying the entire city
How does a limit on the maximum width of streets help prevent fires from spreading? Wouldn't wider be better?
Sorry, that should've been "minimum". In practice, it was fixed to 18m for most bigger streets, if I remember correctly.