1mo ago

PIKACHU used Abundance! It's not very rule...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/28150055

[Alt-text] Pikachu Ezra Klein asks Slow King Schumer to "Incrementally improve society by deregulate housing."
Slow King Schumer says, "I'll ask the boss."
Spoink Bill Ackman says, "I'll pay you a million dollars to never do that."
Slow King Schumer says, "I'm so aroused."
Slow King Schumer says, "No."
Pikachu Ezra Klein has a surprised pikachu face.

196 @lemmy.blahaj.zone

ToastedPlanet @lemmy.blahaj.zone

1mo ago

PIKACHU used Abundance! It's not very rule...

18 comments

I don't really see how deregulation is supposed to stop investors from turning living spaces into a speculative asset.
- When has deregulation ever helped working people?
  
  Maybe they meant zoning laws and parking space requirements. Getting rid of those would help working people a lot.
- Changing zoning laws to allow housing near commercial stuff would probably help and count as deregulation I think?
  
  Dallas does this. It creates its own set of problems.
- It won't. But even if it would, billionaires would shut it down wherever someone tried it. They have a shared class interest, the class consciousness, and the money to do so.
- Well, you see, shut up, filthy poor.
Regulation is how you prevent all housing projects being luxury properties intended for speculation.
Homes are being built all the time, they just aren't affordable
- They aren't affordable because every contractor out there is being paid by investment firms to build glass steel and marble condos that can be rented out for $4000 a month instead of drywall, wood and laminate ones that can be rented out for $2000.
  All of the existing drywall, wood, and laminate ones built 30 years ago are falling apart and no new ones are being built
  Starter homes do not exist anymore because no one builds them. Only luxury homes for the boomers to downsize to and pocket their fortunes as they move out of the big city.
Doing capitalism harder won't fix the externalities of capitalism. You rent isn't 50% of you income simply because developers feel disincentivized to build residential.
- No but see if we just double down on the perversion the jncentives will circle back to being good.
This meme is about Abundance Liberalism. Unlike the article that I’ll link, I would argue that the center-left Democrats are actual leaning right of center neoliberals who are desperately trying to rebrand themselves so they can keep implementing their failed policies.
https://www.splinter.com/abundance-liberalism-is-just-a-new-way-for-technocratic-democrats-to-miss-the-point

The new book Abundance by New York Times and Atlantic writers Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson has taken the center-left intelligentsia by storm this week, as it has received backing from outlets ranging from The Economist to Vox while America’s football coach Tim Walz has even endorsed it to a degree. I have not read the book yet, so I will refrain from entering the weeds of the many policy debates it raises, and if you want to read a critique of those weeds, there are thoughtful ones in The Baffler about how “the Abundance authors ask too little of themselves and their readers” and in The American Prospect about the litany of abundance liberalism’s corporate connections that may be informing its market-based policy recommendations.
Pasting this here too.
- Abundance is literally just suggesting that we need to capitalism harder to fix capitalism.
  
  Yes. People internalize the flaws of their society as virtues and then iterate on those flaws to make an even worse society.
  We need to point all of this out to people now so our choices in the next two elections aren't neoliberals promoting abundance and fascists. Assuming we still have fair and free elections.
I've worked through the neoliberal talking points I wanted to refute with memes. I'll need to think about some news ideas going forward. Definitely let me know if you have ideas you would like to see drawn. I can link to my other posts if you want examples.
What do people think about cross posting? I meant to post this here so I cross posted it. But in general, I assume that's for other people to do, so the post migrates naturally.

18 comments