Fair housing... I just don't think it's very useful or even fair. I don't like it that I paid solid money and worked for years to pay off my debts whereas the neighbor lives in a similar appartment for free. Why not allow cities to drop that requirement if they go over the norm by 50%?
Historically cities throughout the state have added new density in their lowest income, most polluted neighborhoods, with the worst schools. In San Francisco for example big developments are planned for Treasure Island and Candlestick Point but not so much for Noe Valley. Of course you also have the issue that a lot of the low density, high quality neighborhoods were redlined - the FHA would not guarantee loans to minorities in the best neighborhoods so white families got a huge head start in the housing market and higher yearly appreciation that they could then pass to their kids.
The idea is that this is not fair - it’s not so much about subsidies for individual people but the fact that if you’re born in 2000 vs. 1980 you’re much more likely to live in a polluted area because the population is bigger now and that’s where we’ve been adding the housing.
Fair housing laws are about adding more housing in the areas of your town that have historically been unwelcoming to minorities and have less pollution and better schools.
Also it’s bad for public health to have many more people living in polluted areas, bad for social mobility to increase the student count at the worst schools instead of the best schools, etc.
I don't think anyone should have to live in a seriously polluted area. Strange that us policymakers would choose to allow or even promote that. My brother lives near a factory and in his area certain cancers are more common. Still the young are better equipped to handle such conditions than the old.
I used to feel this way. I was earning just above minimum wage, working 12 hour days 6 days a week, meanwhile my mate was living on benefits, and after all essential bills were paid (rent, electric, water, heating), he had more disposable income left over each month than I did.
It was really quite upsetting to think that despite not even having a job, he effectively "made" more money than I did.
Then I thoguht it through a little more, and realised that was as good as his life would ever get unless he did something to change it.
TL;DR: I don't begrudge people who are able to subsist and are happy at that level. Even if it means they get what can appear to be nicer accommodation than what I'm paying for at that time. I'm not wired that way. I want more.
