Let's talk about supply, demand, and billionaires.

a reply to: deadlyhope

With private, secure housing being the most important physical thing a person needs besides food and water, everyone needs to ask themselves why there are so many restrictions for people to obtain housing? Why is one of the most important things a human being can have, purposely made so hard to obtain?

This is not a bag of cheetos. This is not a tv or a lap top or a necklace. This is housing. A basic human right, that's right, a basic human right. Purposefully making private housing for the poor visually doomy looking in structure or not providing avenues for those living in run down houses or trailers to repair them just adds more shudder to the obvious horror half of America, if not more, go through to obtain or keep housing. And IF they do, the arrangement is not ideal or it's not a full private house, it's merely a room.

Supply-the supply of available private housing is extremely limited and very costly. Most 40 hour a week wage earners, who make up most of the bulk of the labor force, pay 75% or more of their wages solely on housing. This does not include utilities as most are a seperate cost. In addition to this, there are many people who own more than one private home. This includes houses, condos, apartments and studio/bungalows that have not been occupied in years, or are seasonal rentals/vacation homes. This also includes hotels as they serve as a secure private living space. Most hotels have a vacancy unless there is an event in the area or it's the season for the seasonal hotel. There are thousands, if not more, of hotel rooms on any given day that are left unoccupied. So, even with including them as housing, availability is still extremely limited.

Demand- the demand for housing is obvious. The demand for housing is huge. Many homeless on the street, in shelters, in tents, living in cars,, many in terrible living arrangements with a bf/gf or spouse, many renting rooms or couches, in their houses they either rent themselves or pay a mortgage on, to strangers, many renting houses, many paying a mortgage on house they can't call their very own until it's paid off in 30 or so years.


Why is there no demand for housing by the people for their own people? Their own citizens?

Shame - shame the person feels who is homeless and shame of those who are aware of the plight but continue to feed into the system in place that violates a human right.

Stupidity - real estate agents exploit this and buyers have no problem being exploited, which goes something like this:

Agent "Sign up for a mortgage today and own your own home!"

Buyer "ok! Wow! Just signed a 30 year mortgage! Paying 1, 500.00 a month on it! Whoo hoo! But its mine!"

Buyer calls friend, "hey! I just bought a house! I'm a home owner now!"

No. No you are not a homeowner. YOU ARE NOT THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE. THE MORTGAGE COMPANY IS. You are renting a house from a bank. You are a rentor.

Now why on earth would anyone think they own the home?

And the last reason I will address as to why demand for housing is so literally screwed up, there are more reasons, but to wrap it up, is:

Punnishment- too many people have a secret, and sometimes not so secret desire, to see people suffer and struggle. They need someone to blame for their own suffering even as misplaced as it is. Knowing they have a nice home/s they own out right, makes many feel special among millions who don't.

I will end with this, when we have a Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity Act with Laws, that refuse to address private, safe housing as a basic human right for all it's citizens and have our elected officials and military fight for that to make it happen and sustain it once it does, AND people begging for jobs, that's right, BEGGING, begging for any job that will never pay for cost of living expenses such as the ever growing expensive housing, , and I'm not talking begging with a cardboard sign either, its on paper or sent through the internet, called a cover letter and application, REVEALING personal information as a requirement before a real job offer, because it's turned into begging JUST as stated in the OP, we have a HUGE problem because the application used in supply and demand when it comes to housing, is an extreme violation to the human right of the citizen who is kept from obtaining private and secure housing, even after begging for work, day after day, to become a participant in the supply and demand structure of their own Nation.

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: ketsuko

I'd argue your illustration is bad and it seems you do not know who the Walton family is..

They own Walmart.

They do not grow corn.

They have very little to do with supplying corn, other than being a meeting place for corn to be sold.

I know who the Waltons are.

But I simplified the analogy to illustrate the point. In reality, yes, the Waltons sell much more than corn. But I was making a play on the farm family off of TV ... John Boy!

originally posted by: WhiteWingedMonolith
No. No you are not a homeowner. YOU ARE NOT THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE. THE MORTGAGE COMPANY IS. You are renting a house from a bank. You are a rentor.

Except I can sell my home for more than I paid for it, satisfy the mortgage and walk away with a profit because I do, in fact, own my home.

a reply to: BatheInTheFountain

Can't the free market only work when there is equal opportunity?

Right now the haves have all the opportunity while the have nots have no mobility.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: WhiteWingedMonolith
No. No you are not a homeowner. YOU ARE NOT THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE. THE MORTGAGE COMPANY IS. You are renting a house from a bank. You are a rentor.

Except I can sell my home for more than I paid for it, satisfy the mortgage and walk away with a profit because I do, in fact, own my home.

Right. Starred for that.

As long as the house is still in a desirable area and/or had upgrades/improvements increasing its perceived value to obtain profit.

Some have wondered if the housing market has been masterminded to such a huge degree, where taking away of industry in a town or city that is stable and pretty much self sustainable, is purposefully done...artificially manufactured to create "flight" of homeowners due to rising crime and desparity tied into poverty from lack of that legal big industry that was formerly in place, so people sell their homes either taking a hit, or no to little profit from the sell, and they buy up newer and more expensive homes in other areas.

originally posted by: WhiteWingedMonolith

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: WhiteWingedMonolith
No. No you are not a homeowner. YOU ARE NOT THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE. THE MORTGAGE COMPANY IS. You are renting a house from a bank. You are a rentor.

Except I can sell my home for more than I paid for it, satisfy the mortgage and walk away with a profit because I do, in fact, own my home.

Right. Starred for that.

As long as the house is still in a desirable area and/or had upgrades/improvements increasing its perceived value to obtain profit.

Some have wondered if the housing market has been masterminded to such a huge degree, where taking away of industry in a town or city that is stable and pretty much self sustainable, is purposefully done...artificially manufactured to create "flight" of homeowners due to rising crime and desparity tied into poverty from lack of that legal big industry that was formerly in place, so people sell their homes either taking a hit, or no to little profit from the sell, and they buy up newer and more expensive homes in other areas.

Adding to that if the industries included low wage earners, who were able to live comfortably enough and rent apartments or town houses in the area with enough left over to take care of their personal needs with no problem, but had none left over to put in savings or own anything but maybe a car, if that industry is removed, they are the ones left in desperation. If big industry or business created those jobs for them, that is what they are used to. Many do end up creating their own means of obtaining money which manifests in increased crime. Demand and supply is totally skewed.

The priorities of supply and demand need to change. It would take a powerful group of ET's to force the change because it seems most people do not value other human beings on a personal level, neighborly/community level or political level, as seen in the increase of homelessness, loss of business/employment, inability to create a legal business, along with increasing crimes against others. In addition, if human's tried to enforce a change that benefits and values ALL people, they would be put in the position to hurt other people resistant to the change, which would undermine the mission that people are valuable and deserving of sustainable employment and housing so that all can experience a quality life.

If every Billionaire on the planet each put 2% of their Billions towards Humanity, not their own Personal Agenda but actually Helping those who cannot get out of the Ditch, everything would change over night.

If there were Good Guys in Powerful places good guys with Big Balls, they could reset the entire Monetary System back to Zero. People are blind, they come up with excuses as to why it wouldn't work, when in reality, the only reason it's not working now is because of GREED AND POWER.

It should have been resolved a long long time ago. It's not that hard to fix the mess they've (evil men with too much power and money) created, I could fix it, you could fix it, why can't these rich bigots fix it? People are asking all the wrong questions.

Money is a human invention. The laws of economics are not physical laws. Money is not an elementary particle, nor a force of nature. We talk about economics as though it were a hard science governed by immutable laws, when in fact economics is a creation of humans, governed by laws we invented, and enforce through physical violence.

Let us not forget about the bank. When I supply something, and you demand it, if you pay me a dollar for it, I do not receive a dollar. The government receives a portion of it. The bank receives a portion of it. I get to keep the rest.

We will not get very far talking about supply and demand as though this were a home game of poker, in which four players put 10 chips into the pot and the winner gets 40 chips. This is casino poker. Four players put in 10 chips, the winner gets 39, and the house gets 1. Notice here that the risk is borne by the players, and the house's profit is guaranteed. We have all heard the argument that the bank deserves to charge interest because it accepts risk when it offers a loan, but I think recent events have shown us that the bank accepts no risk, as it will be bailed out in the event of failure.