Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an economist

Government has screwed up by putting in affordable housing minimum wage etc. All these artifical floors that keep lower class people dependent and screw over the middle class

Now before you call me heartless here is what should happen

1. You get rid of affordable housing and the minimum wage
2. You let the market work..... wages and housing will adjust based on supply and demand.

DC is screwed up because of 1. If you were able to get rid of that you would have 2 where wages would actaully increase or real estate would decrease to an equlibrium point to allow for service workers to have a reasonable wage, reasonable housing and reasonable healthcare. It's all supply and demand. People will only take jobs if they can afford to live in an area. If noone takes the job then you either increase wages or automate

Again there are plenty of other places across the country with lower cost of living

P.S. the third thing you have to do is reform immigration. All the wages being paid under the table is screwing the system as well. Yes illegal immigration totally hurts the law abiding lower class.

Real estate would only "adjust" to house the highest bidders. No way in hell would it "correct itself" to enable people of all income brackets to be housed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it means subsidizing it, I am dead set against it. Many childless folks choose to forgo children because they know they can't afford to pay for daycare and still live the lifestyle they want (with vacations and eating out and so forth in the budget). If you choose to have a baby, that $2000 daycare bill is on YOU and no one else. And don't bother with the "who will pay for your retirement" argument. It's old and tired and bullshit anyway. We all know SS will be bankrupt by then anyway.

Screw pay for your retirement? Who is going to wipe your a$$? probably not many with your attitude

I'll pay a private nurse. I'll be able to afford it since I'm childless and not an idiot spending hundreds of thousands on my special snowflake who is just like every other kid.

+ 1

+ 2

Anonymous wrote:

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

Do you want the FDA to stop monitoring for Ecoli in food? Do you want the EPA to stop enforcing clean air and water regulations? Do you think people should demand that there not be lead in their water? Is that whining? Do you think the government should help people who are mentally or physically disabled (or should we just tell them to work harder and get an education)? Do you think old people should get Medicare? Do you think kids should get free K-12 education? Do you think there should be a minimum wage? Do you think your garbage should be collected (or maybe you should do that yourself)? Do you think plows should come down your street when it snows? Do you think potholes should be fixed? Do you think those people should be paid enough to live in your high COLA area? Or should they drive in every day from West Virginia? What about police and fire protection? How much are you willing to pay to make sure those people are available and live close enough so they aren't totally burned out from driving here? Do you think they should be able to have children if they want them? What kind of place do you want to live in? Do you like other people?

Have you benefited from any of these things?

I don't have children and won't have them because I don't want that kind of hassle in my life. We have a close circle of childless friends who we spend holidays and vacation with, etc. They feel the same as me. If you want to have a baby, that is totally fine. But that is YOUR CHOICE and it is not fair to expect other people (I.e. taxpayers or your colleagues at the office) to do the heavy lifting for you. With birth control and abortion widely available, there is no reason to five birth to an unwanted baby you can't afford to raise. Find a way to do it or don't, that's up to you. I don't want to be involved, as your potential coworker or taxpayer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2k childcare that's the problem right there

Look DC and other major cities are nuts from real estate prices to childcare costs etc

Subsidizing isn't the solution though. Look at healthcare you are taking from the middle class to give the lower class stuff for free.

The reality is if you aren't upper middle income you shouldn't be living in a high COL area. There are plenty of other palces around the country where you can survive on 10-15 bucks an hour

Rent is less than 700 for a nice big 1br and daycare is around 700 a month in many places around the country

Is there an award for the most elitist post ever on DCUM? And you want a family to live in a big 1 BR? I suspect PP was ditch delivered by a drab and raised by wolves.

FIne make it a 2br I don't care

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

Agree.

Disagree. DC used to be affordable. Why should lower income people be forced to relocate because of gentrification? Say good bye to teachers, postal workers, florists, gardeners, cashiers, waiters, construction workers and (OH YEAH!) childcare workers if that's your attitude.

A couple things

1. People should have bought instead of rented and they could benefit from the real estate side of gentrification and more importantly their rent or in this case actual mortgage wouldn't incraese to the point where they could no longer to live in the area
2. Overall wages should go up to reflect the higher cost of living (this is happening)
3. The real thing that is screwing alot of people over is the two income trap. That's the real issue. You went from an economy running on one income to an ecnomy running on two. Those households not having dualincomes are going to be locked out of areas. At the same time this is supply and demand and the only fair thing. It's natural that a single income situation won't be able to afford an area that is a nice as a dual income situation

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it means subsidizing it, I am dead set against it. Many childless folks choose to forgo children because they know they can't afford to pay for daycare and still live the lifestyle they want (with vacations and eating out and so forth in the budget). If you choose to have a baby, that $2000 daycare bill is on YOU and no one else. And don't bother with the "who will pay for your retirement" argument. It's old and tired and bullshit anyway. We all know SS will be bankrupt by then anyway.

Screw pay for your retirement? Who is going to wipe your a$$? probably not many with your attitude

I'll pay a private nurse. I'll be able to afford it since I'm childless and not an idiot spending hundreds of thousands on my special snowflake who is just like every other kid.

+ 1

There is no one "right" way of doing it.

Anonymous wrote:I see childcare as an extension of free K-12 that we already have. I personally think that free childcare would fix a lot of ills in society, namely in lower class and disadvantaged families. So many low income toddlers are set in front of TVs 24/7 with no interaction while their parents work. They start Kindergarten not knowing how to read and don't know their colors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it means subsidizing it, I am dead set against it. Many childless folks choose to forgo children because they know they can't afford to pay for daycare and still live the lifestyle they want (with vacations and eating out and so forth in the budget). If you choose to have a baby, that $2000 daycare bill is on YOU and no one else. And don't bother with the "who will pay for your retirement" argument. It's old and tired and bullshit anyway. We all know SS will be bankrupt by then anyway.

Screw pay for your retirement? Who is going to wipe your a$$? probably not many with your attitude

I'll pay a private nurse. I'll be able to afford it since I'm childless and not an idiot spending hundreds of thousands on my special snowflake who is just like every other kid.

Anonymous wrote:

But is it better for society that you stay home? Probably not

You do know that is quite debatable? I had my children very late and worked until then. Then, I made the choice to stay home--which, gratefully, we could afford. DH made a decent middle income salary. Of course, we gave up things. Nice house--but not fancy. Made do with old furniture. No fancy trips except to visit grandparents and a couple of trips to Disney. There are a lot of local excursions. Few restaurant dinners--but lots of youth sports.

I am grateful we could afford to do this. DH had long hours--I do not see how we could have managed had I been working outside the home.

Kids are grown now--and, I have no regrets.

No criticism here of women who choose to work--but, please don't tell me it is better for society. Maybe, because I worked for years before I had kids, I did not feel that pull to work. I'd been there and done that.

Anonymous wrote:I'm an economist

Government has screwed up by putting in affordable housing minimum wage etc. All these artifical floors that keep lower class people dependent and screw over the middle class

Now before you call me heartless here is what should happen

1. You get rid of affordable housing and the minimum wage
2. You let the market work..... wages and housing will adjust based on supply and demand.

DC is screwed up because of 1. If you were able to get rid of that you would have 2 where wages would actaully increase or real estate would decrease to an equlibrium point to allow for service workers to have a reasonable wage, reasonable housing and reasonable healthcare. It's all supply and demand. People will only take jobs if they can afford to live in an area. If noone takes the job then you either increase wages or automate

Again there are plenty of other places across the country with lower cost of living

P.S. the third thing you have to do is reform immigration. All the wages being paid under the table is screwing the system as well. Yes illegal immigration totally hurts the law abiding lower class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an economist

Government has screwed up by putting in affordable housing minimum wage etc. All these artifical floors that keep lower class people dependent and screw over the middle class

Now before you call me heartless here is what should happen

1. You get rid of affordable housing and the minimum wage
2. You let the market work..... wages and housing will adjust based on supply and demand.

DC is screwed up because of 1. If you were able to get rid of that you would have 2 where wages would actaully increase or real estate would decrease to an equlibrium point to allow for service workers to have a reasonable wage, reasonable housing and reasonable healthcare. It's all supply and demand. People will only take jobs if they can afford to live in an area. If noone takes the job then you either increase wages or automate

Again there are plenty of other places across the country with lower cost of living

P.S. the third thing you have to do is reform immigration. All the wages being paid under the table is screwing the system as well. Yes illegal immigration totally hurts the law abiding lower class.

The first time I ever agreed with an economist, particularly on point 3. Germany allows the immigrants because they need the labor supply. We do not. I work in the housing industry and everyday I see the undercutting of pay by illegal immigrants. It is interesting that the legal immigrants I work with are voting for Trump. They see him as lessening the competition for their jobs and increasing their pay. Maybe this will also mean that Americans will stop by too big houses and too much junk to stuff into their houses. They will have to use their money more wisely than on impulse shopping of junk and food to make themselves feel better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2k childcare that's the problem right there

Look DC and other major cities are nuts from real estate prices to childcare costs etc

Subsidizing isn't the solution though. Look at healthcare you are taking from the middle class to give the lower class stuff for free.

The reality is if you aren't upper middle income you shouldn't be living in a high COL area. There are plenty of other palces around the country where you can survive on 10-15 bucks an hour

Rent is less than 700 for a nice big 1br and daycare is around 700 a month in many places around the country

Is there an award for the most elitist post ever on DCUM? And you want a family to live in a big 1 BR? I suspect PP was ditch delivered by a drab and raised by wolves.

FIne make it a 2br I don't care

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

Agree.

Disagree. DC used to be affordable. Why should lower income people be forced to relocate because of gentrification? Say good bye to teachers, postal workers, florists, gardeners, cashiers, waiters, construction workers and (OH YEAH!) childcare workers if that's your attitude.