NPR has no idea how real estate works

[Brandon G.]

I was listening to NPR because they had a segment about rent costs and real estate.  Almost every single thing they said was the opposite of how the real world works.  It was equally infuriating and scary to think that people will be making policies based on the backwards logic that, although appeals to people's conscience, makes things worse by strictly regulating yet another industry.  

In a related note, I just finished The Housing Boom and Bust by Thomas Sowell.  I would highly recommend it.

The Housing Boom and Bust

[Jade S.]

Originally posted by @Brandon G.:

I was listening to NPR because they had a segment about rent costs and real estate.  Almost every single thing they said was the opposite of how the real world works.  It was equally infuriating and scary to think that people will be making policies based on the backwards logic that, although appeals to people's conscience, makes things worse by strictly regulating yet another industry.  

In a related note, I just finished The Housing Boom and Bust by Thomas Sowell.  I would highly recommend it.

The Housing Boom and Bust

I'll have to hear the podcast of that segment.  But with that being said, I'm noticing a trend of strident attacks in both social media and the press related to rising rental costs in the US anytime discussion of lower home ownership rates since the Great Recession ended.  Some of the unwashed masses want to drag rising rents kicking and screaming into the wealth inequality "movement" and attempt to also link it to "greedy" landlords who supposedly just want to take advantage of poor tenants.  

Education is important, but how many are willing to truly understand the movement away from home ownership to more of a rental society? And you're right...politicians hear this and pander to that element.