Very peaceful at the park tonight. Sat by the pond for a while. Park was mostly deserted.

Maybe @STxStargazer can be the next pope. 😹

NYC landlord just dropped a truth bomb about why rent in the city is so expensive. He had a studio apartment available for $1,700 a month, with the tenant responsible for utilities. Then he got a call from an NYC specialist looking for an apartment for a government-subsidized tenant. When he told the specialist he had a place for $1,700, the response was essentially, “You’re crazy.” They told him they could get him $2,364 for the apartment. That’s $664 more than his asking price. Think about that. If government programs are willing to pay landlords significantly more than the market asking price, what incentive is there to keep rents lower? Policies like this can distort the rental market and contribute to higher prices, while working New Yorkers who receive no housing assistance are left competing for the same apartments without those subsidies. “So ask yourself one question: If the government is willing to pay hundreds of dollars more than the market rent, and at times offer bonuses, who’s really putting the upward pressure on rents? Not the landlord. Think about it.” This raises a serious question: Are some housing programs unintentionally helping drive up the very rents they are supposed to make more affordable?