patrick.net

bullshitmagnet says

I'm not sure if this is a good time to bring this up, but Robert Schiller has
made the point that the average annual real return one can expect by buying a
home, counting for everything, (repairs, maintenance, property taxes and so on)
is:

0%

Not true. He claims the average annual real appreciation is zero. But, you have to factor in the rent "dividend" to get return.

tatupu70 says

Not true. He claims the average annual real appreciation is zero. But, you have to factor in the rent "dividend" to get return.

I think this is probably true if there is very low growth in population and productivity. But what about changes in demographics? In 2010 the US population was 80% urban, vs 75% in 1990 vs 63% in 1960 etc. With rising fuel costs and so on I expect this trend to continue, and if so isn't it reasonable to expect that urban areas will appreciate more than 0?

Is it just me or do yous see a paradox that Reality a staunch Austrian and Egads 101 a staunch Keynesian come to the same conclusion on what is the best investment?

bullshitmagnet says

But why never any protection for the rights of renters??

renters don't vote, and of the ones who do, half vote for social reasons not economic.

"Moral Values" -- 22% of the electorate. One of Bush's strongest groups in 2004 was "Walmart Shoppers" -- they broke 78% for him, the same level as the evangelicals, billionaires, and Orthodox Jews.

Also, once you buy a house, you become conservative to some extent. Rove knew this, which is why the Bush Admin pushed the "Ownership Society" so hard.

http://www.vdare.com/articles/karl-rove-architect-of-the-minority-mortgage-meltdown

Government is certainly the problem, when it is funded in a way such as ours is today.

Do away with income taxes on working people altogether would be a solution

Its not "got mine screw you" its quit picking my tattered pockets to fund your life of luxury

I didn't say that we should have no taxes. I said we should do away with income taxes on working people.

There's plenty of alternative means to funding government,,,,

egads101 says

The deficits are coming down dramatically as we speak. To further that end:

1. end the wars.

2. legalize and tax pot.

3. legalize and tax prostitution.

4. raise taxes on those who make more than $300k a year.

5. reintroduce an estate tax, on estates over say $2 million.

6. Sell visas to illegal immigrants, give them a legal right to stay. why the F should coyotes make $10K to bring a gardner into the country?

Thats just a start.

I agree with 1,2,3,6.

The real problem stems from the entitlements. Any politician who makes any serious reforms to these is committing political suicide. The real key is educate the mutts so they vote intelligently.

Another factor is that the US has been forced into being a spending country because China has held down the value of the Yuan. This is changing a lot.

Another factor is that US history has conflated government with other things such as religion or "the purpose of equality" in neither is in the Constitution and prevents a reconciliation of these problems because of this conflation.

It should create a rule of law, national defense, some regulation and that is pretty much it. It sure as FUCK has no business in healthcare, subsidies, tariffs, endless wars, financial equality, ANY violations of the 10 amendment, or a Federal government that subjugates the states.