Can so-called Democratic Socialism truly provide "affordable" quality housing for all?

Politics
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This ought to be fun to watch unfold:

Who needs practical housing policies when Mamdani has such lovely theories? Who needs practical housing policies when Mamdani has such lovely theories?

Progressives like Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams love to rage about too-high rents and apartment complexes with lots of housing violations — conveniently ignoring a fundamental contradiction, namely: Higher-rent buildings have vanishingly few violations, because the landlord can afford to fix things.

Unveiling his latest “Worst Landlord” list last week, Williams raged at greedy landlords’ thousands of open violations and other poor conditions.

“Each hazardous violation on the Worst Landlord Watchlist, each building in disrepair, each landlord putting profit over people, represents New Yorkers suffering in their homes,” he huffed, calling for more housing inspectors to presumably hector the evildoers into changing their ways.

Then again, Williams also admitted that he had to exclude City Housing Authority complexes from consideration, because otherwise NYCHA would’ve “far surpassed” the bad guys he targeted.

It has hundreds of thousands of open work orders to address various violations — but lacks the cash to address them speedily, because rents are too low and no one, including the new mayor, wants to simply spend more public funds to make up the difference.

It’s so easy to campaign offering “free stuff” to bunch of ignorant people who likely believe all these libs like Mamdani have to do is simply snap their fingers and presto “utopia”! Eventually the hard economic realities will come and punch these charlatans in the face! As a homeowner and a landlord, I’ve learned about the hard economic realities of maintaining properties - it’s ■■■■■■■ expensive! We as homeowners can “hide” those costs to some extent by doing our own plumbing, electrical work, landscaping etc. (or simply putting things off). But if you’re in a situation in which you have to pay others to do all the maintenance it gets very expensive. I determined that for the rent I was charging that after taxes, insurance, water & sewer, and all the maintenance costs that I was just about breaking even. I’m not a big proponent of being a landlord and can’t imagine being one in NYC. Maybe Mamdani and all his communist buddies who are part of his administration will fix all the problems in all these buildings for free! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Every time I see his name, I can’t help but think of this:

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(I know… I know… It’s really Zoltar in the movie, not Zohran.)

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This is a key, and one that libs will brush aside.

Yet this is what “Affordable housing for all” would end up looking like.

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I am sure many will disagree with this but in my opinion housing is a fundamental right and should be treated as such.

The fact that high-rent buildings have fewer violations is not a defense of just allowing market forces to prevail but proof the system rewards wealth while punishing lower income tenants with housing that is neglected and in decay and disrepair.

The massive repair backlog of the NYCHA is from decades of deliberate underfunding, not because rents are too low. Private landlords benefit from tax breaks and speculation profits whereas public housing gets austerity.

Real solutions will only be possible when we start to prioritize people over profit in these ways:

  1. Massive public investment in permanently affordable social housing

  2. Much stronger enforcement of the worst slumlords including seizing their properties. Slumlords are absolute scum and prey on the poor and needy. Anything that can be done to put them out of business will help society.

  3. Rent stabilization and freezes in rent to avoid where possible people losing their homes.

  4. This one will go down a lead balloon here :grinning_face: but taxes to fund repairs need to be enacted by NYC (and other cities) instead of gouging tenants

@Eagle-Keeper experience as a small landlord breaking even is real together with the headaches that renting a property brings, I get that maintenance is expensive but ultimately the landlord owns the property so investing in maintenance will benefit landlords long term and solidify their investment.

We have some of the best brain power in the world here in the US so it has to be possible to create a framework that is better than what we have here.

I am not an idiot I get there is no magic or perfect solution that will eliminate all problems but that should not stop us as a society as trying and iterating our current system.

With that all said going back to Mamdani the housing crisis of NYC ( and other cities) demands systemic change not just individual effort or more market-rate incentives that have already failed.

Dismissing housing as a right as just a communist or marxist fantasy just continues to preserve the luxury for some and hardship for what is a growing demographic. The cost of houses today is putting home ownership out of the reach of millions, no matter how frugal someone lives there is a limit to what a person can earn and the hours they can work.

And before anyone starts spouting off about bad tenants, i agree if someone is responsible for the disrepair of a house or filthy living conditions then they need to be accountable but that accountability goes both ways.

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In order for a need to be met, there’s only two ways for that to happen: either the person with the need meets the need themselves or someone else provides that need. You are suggesting that someone else provide the need. It doesn’t matter what the need is or who the someone else is that provides the need, it never works as intended because the people providing the need will stop providing when they feel that the fruits of their labor are being confiscated and redistributed to someone else who isn’t doing enough to meet their own need. This is 100 % true every single time. This is why the Declaration of Independence specifically listed the unalienable rights Americans are entitled to and housing wasn’t on that list. I find it interesting that people who believe that things like housing and healthcare are rights that should be provided for free but something much more essential, namely food, never makes that list of rights. How come? What good is having a free house if you’re starving to death?

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How does someone have a right to live in someone else’s property?

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I never said that. No one has the right to live in your property unless you want them to. I am not talking about government forcing private homeowners to open their homes and that is not something i would support.

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Rights are about what someone should be allowed to DO, not what they should get.

If you are saying that people should have the right to procure their own housing, then I’m with you. They should not be denied due to race or any other personal factor.

If you are saying they should be supplied housing, then yes, I am in disagreement with you.

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Housing is different. Its not realistic to expect everyone to be able to acquire land to build their own home and then have the skill set or the funds to build their own home. That leaves buying a home.

Buying a home is not like it was in the 50s and 60z through to the early 2000s (maybe a bit before), homes are more expensive than ever before and in shorter supply. People have to rent. I see nothing wrong with states helping to ensure affordable housing for all.

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I am not saying everyone gets a home for free but having access to an affordable home that is safe and clean to live in is not really to much to ask in todays society.

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Well if you’re leaning towards no property taxes then count me in! :rofl:

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If you can find people willing to fix everything that breaks down for free then problem solved! That’s why I suggested that Mamdani and all his communist buddies offer to do so.

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And how would you do that?

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What about Food?
Why food shouldn’t be the same?
Problem is WHERE does it stop!

Housing, Health Care, Food… :thinking:
Constitution says we have a right to pursue happiness.
WHO will guarantee ME happiness?

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People DO have access to housing.
All you need is money and good credit.

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there is no easy fix for affordable housing in NYC.

too many people want to live there and there are not enough housing units.

Allan

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Perhaps NYC should just put everyone up in all the hotels, schools, libraries and every other available space at tax payer expense. But only on the condition that everyone staying in those facilities gets their culturally appropriate food free too. And whatever you do, don’t neglect their health needs! But at least your compassionate commie mayor is taking care of the transportation situation. That should alleviate the space problem considerably and with just a little less stinginess on the part of New Yorkers, especially the rich ones, you guys should have yourselves a wonderful slice of Utopia in no time. Good Luck!

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As long as someone is not denied access because of who they are, that’s what I said.

That word. :roll_eyes:

People get to afford what their own circumstances can afford. Not what a government number dictates. We already give welfare and Section-8 benefits (and other programs.)

As noted already at the top of the thread, government cannot provide that as it is. (And something not mentioned in the article is that people are complaining about the rents charged even for apartments in City Housing Authority properties.)

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Correct. PURSUE. Not get.

I tried to point that out earlier in the thread.

Rights are about what you can do. Not what you can get.

Once we cross the Rubicon saying rights becoming what people GET, we’ve crossed into the valley of socialism. And the rest of your reply covers where that approach goes.

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The only problem is scrounging up enough communist plumbers, electricians, drywallers, etc. They are more into theatre, poetry, and community organizing. Maybe they could work off their student loans by attending trade schools to learn real skills and thereby serve NYC’s needs according to their abilities.

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