Rent Contol: Open-and-Shut Case?

[James Baird]

> Landlords don't want groveling --
> they would rather have
> money. In uncontrolled markets the question of who
> gets an apartment is
> settled quickly by the question of who is able and
> willing to pay the most.

One problem with this article - the landlords DO rent
to whoever is able and willing to pay the most (unlike
NYC, there are no limits on the initial rents for a
vacancy, only limits on how much the rent can be
raised per year.  ANd as fro the idea that rent
control is preventing new housing from being developed
- has he ever been to SF?  Every square inch that can
be has already been built on, unless we want to start
stacking people up like they do in Manhattan.  The
fact is, there are far more people who want to live in
SF than places to put them, and there are far too many
overpaid yuppie scum dot-commies (like me and my
horrid coworkers) who are bidding up the price.  Rent
control in SF is the only thing preventing thousands
of people from being kicked out their homes and
neighborhoods.  It's an imperfect solution at best,
and not applicable to most other places, but it's
better than nothing...

Jim Baird

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