Political Economy

Backdoor NIMBY

Chill Clowns, Political Economy

What Determines Rent?

This is a great example of a very clever person using their sharpness to deceive. This piece is using a lot of econ (emphasis on the “con”) terms and pseudointellectualism to sneak in NIMBYism. Essentially, this entire argument is purpose-built to say: We shouldn’t build anything because landlords will inevitably charge the monopoly price no matter what.

I’m sure someone proposed building an apartment complex in his neighborhood. So now he’s upset because his house price might fall and writes this article “proving” it’s a bad idea.

Meanwhile, when Austin built more new apartments than anywhere else in the country, rents fell a large amount. Shocking.

All of this is a result of NIMBYs and the left utterly despising the Klein & Thompson Abundance book. It really gave them quite a scare and bedevils their dreams. Just the thought of someone slightly poorer than them living anywhere nearby keeps them up at night.

So they write clownish sophistry like the article to which I linked.

House Flying

Chill Political Economy

Economists attempt to deny this, work around it, lie about it and employ odd circumlocutions, but many of our problems — and even more of the problems young people have — stem from this simple truth: housing just costs much, much more than it used to.

Deny that and turn your whole profession into a sick joke. Which is what economists have done.

Heavy Fail

Chill Clowns, Political Economy

The liberal degrowth heavy breathing about all they will “have” to take away you from was always doomed to fail. To be fair, there are a lot of right-wing degrowthers now too. Evil no matter which side they are on.

AI Bye

Chill Political Economy

The economist and Reddit conventional wisdom is that AI is not replacing any jobs.

But of course it is. And will replace many more. If you listen to normies and econs, you’ll always be 2-20 years behind the times. Don’t do it.

P Grim

Chill Political Economy

The future for a lot of white collar workers is looking pretty grim.

Pipe

Chill Political Economy

My unpopular opinion: These days, all water shortages in the US are self-created.

With cheaper desalination and much, much cheaper solar options available (not to mention nuclear) we could desalinate water at the coasts and transport it via pipelines to anywhere needed — even Kansas.

As we scaled this up, the costs would fall enormously over time.

And contrary to what you might’ve read, transporting by pipeline is insanely cheap. Many of our problems have obvious and easy solutions. We just lack the will to implement them.

Glorious Future

Chill Political Economy

The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.

Except I can’t afford any because I’m jobless, homeless and living in a Frigidaire box. Glorious.

Full A

Chill Political Economy

I feel sad for people who have defined themselves by their career and then how hard it hits them psychologically when they get laid off. I do well, but my job defines me not at all. And I mean that sincerely, with no snark, about being sad for them. It seems horrible.

So it’s good that I’m full awesome unemployed, employed, does not matter.

Watching my dad get laid off from Occidental Chemical when I was a kid cured me of ever wanting to identify myself with any job.

Glad that was a lesson learned early.

Becons

Chill Annoying, Clowns, Political Economy

Every major industry that has been developed anywhere ever has been government-subsidized all the way back to ancient times. It’s funny when idiots are like, “Buh-buh-buh, Tesla gets government subsidies! That makes it faaaaaake!” Or on the right, “Solar power got subsidized! That means it can’t worrrrrrrk!”

Meanwhile, oil companies and auto manufacturing incumbents receive dozens of billions in direct subsidies and tax breaks a year and no one says shit1. Makes no sense. If you object, at least be consistent. But no one any side ever does that. And the clown show continues.

  1. A rough calculation is that worldwide, oil companies since their inception have received somewhere around $1 trillion in direct subsidies in today’s dollars.

Cheapen

Chill Political Economy

People attempt to deny it for some reason, but I recall when fast food used to be cheap food. It’s not anymore. I bet that has had more of an effect on poorer people than we are capturing (because no one gives a crap).

No Say

Chill Political Economy

Social media and phone addicts should have no say in deciding the fate of smartphones and not be allowed any input on social media policy.

If you use your phone more than 30 minutes a day for non-work purposes, sorry, your voice is not needed.

I use my phone maybe 2-5 minutes a day for non-work purposes. Sometimes none.

Live Like

Chill Annoying, Political Economy

Even though many US idiots will says it’s “impossible,” we could have good universal health coverage like other developed countries.

When I told a UK friend of mine how health insurance works in the US and how bad it is, she thought I was pulling her leg. She truly believed I was lying and trying to make her laugh or playing a prank (she was not at all familiar with US politics). Then she looked it up and said something like, “People actually live like this?”

And that is the reaction of people from sane countries when told how the US handles health care. People cannot believe it. Because no other developed country does it as crappily as we do.