It's really something to see people in the same breath talk about being anti-fascist while demanding that government take on more power to tell people how much they can pay for rent.
It's a real sign of lack of self-awareness.
Yeah, it's so fucked-up that the government won't let me pay more rent 🤦♂️
@RD4Anarchy Yes, exactly! It really is fucked up!
Maybe you want to go for the cheapest place you can get. Sure. Maybe you want to pay a little bit more for a place that makes you a little bit more happy.
Well, you worked for that money, and it's such a power grab for this official to stand in your way because he wants to be able to approve how workers use their own labor.
Yes, I'd say it is fucked up! But more to the point here, we should recognize it for the power grab that it is when in a time that people are worried about power and throwing around terms like fascist.
Your scenario is nonsense. Rent control regulations do not prohibit renters from seeking places with higher rent, even places they can't really afford. Besides, my snide comment wasn't about looking for a different place with higher rent, it was about having to pay more rent for the same place. That would be obvious to anyone who isn't pushing some sort of ancap agenda.
You've also absurdly mischaracterized the thread you're subtooting about.
Speaking of "throwing around terms like fascist", you said "I think in general any use of the term fascist is inflammatory. So anyone using that term has already crossed the line into inflammatory." So you must have been intentionally inflammatory when you said: "rent control is a fascist policy!"
I do not endorse power structures like government, quite the contrary. But in the context of existing reality, rent control is a relatively good thing because it stands against the power of capital and there is nothing fascist about it whatsoever, to claim such is utterly ridiculous. Rent control regulations are about restricting landlords, not the tenants. Why are you trying to gaslight about this? You can't seriously believe that someone who advocates rent control is doing so as a "power grab", Jesus fucking christ.
My scenario is nonsense? No I've seen exactly my scenario play out over and over in real life. It's not unusual at all to see people negotiate higher rent in exchange for some value that they may perceive, and it's their money. The worker does what they want with their earnings.
I think it's funny that you pivot to having to pay more, that word having being pretty opposite of what I laid out with options of not. So much for having to.
And and ancap argument? Not at all! If the people want to give that power up to some some government official, hey it might piss off ancaps, but I respect that decision of the governed.
The problem is people not realizing that they are giving up their power, and in the end a lot of them are worse off because they don't realize the trade they are making.
Rent control regulations are about government officials trying to claim power, selling something for votes. Let's just be honest about that.
I benefited from rent control for decades, you can't gaslight me with your bullshit.
@RD4Anarchy I never said you didn't.
Of course there are winners and losers when powerful officials put fingers on the scales. That's part of why they do it, to benefit some parties, and congrats, you were privileged.
However, you seem to miss the ones who lose out when their abilities to negotiate for better housing for themselves is blocked by the power shift to some statehouse.
Great, you won! But at the expense of others, a downside that you seem to miss.
Rent control does not prevent people from seeking better housing if they can afford it, nor does it prevent improvements and associated rent increases. You're pulling shit out of your ass.
"...when powerful officials put fingers on the scales."
LOL, the rent control I experienced was voted in by the community. It was subsequently weakened, eroded and eventually almost eliminated by powerful officials putting their fingers on the scales. Quite the opposite of your bullshit scenario.
@RD4Anarchy you say the rent control you experienced was voted in by the community, but you seem to be missing that I'm saying exactly that the community is welcome to vote it in!
When you point things like that out, it just sounds like you are completely missing what I'm saying. And I'm really trying to emphasize it, so I don't know what the disconnect is.
I'm saying something and you seem to be reading something completely different.
YES the community can vote it in. THAT'S MY WHOLE POINT
Huh, could've fooled me. This entire exchange sprung from you saying "rent control is a fascist policy! It is demanding State control of private activity!"
You did not qualify it with *unless voted in by the community*. Besides, if a mayor gets elected on a promise to institute rent control, is that not also the community voting for rent control?
You've been repeatedly hammering on your ridiculous and unsubstantiated argument that rent control hinders renters' ability to opt for better housing. You've also been pushing the sweeping generalization that "Rent control regulations are about government officials trying to claim power, selling something for votes." You never made any distinction between rent control voted in by a community vs rent control imposed by government. In fact, you claimed that voting for rent control is a result of voters' ignorance ("The problem is people not realizing that they are giving up their power, and in the end a lot of them are worse off because they don't realize the trade they are making.")
I'm not "reading something completely different", you're just being ridiculous, contradictory, and evasive.
@RD4Anarchy there's no qualification.
If people want to vote for fascists they can vote for fascists. You don't have to say that, it's not like voting for a racist is different whether you voted for them or not.
If you want to vote for a fascist go for it!
Yes, because I'm not a fascist!
Yeah, people can vote for dumb things. People can vote for fascists. If you really want to vote for these fascist policies, go for it. That's how democracy works. You can vote for a fascist if you want to.
Totally cool with it? Well I mean it's annoying to me. I think it's extremely ignorant the positions that you are taking. I think it's bad for society that you would take power away from workers like that. But I'm not an anarchist, I'm into that whole democracy thing, so you can vote fascist policies like rent control if you want to.
Totally cool? Well, I wouldn't say totally, but I accept that dumb people will vote for dumb things and that's how democracy works, that's how government works.
You want to vote for fascist things like rent control? That's your right. It annoys me for privileged people to vote for fascist things, but that's democratic government for you.
You're hilarious. Good luck with dumb democracy and government then.
@volkris
Of course you're totally cool with that.