Too many Americans have become reliant on government to “fix” everything. The Founding Fathers knew better. There are many problems that federal and even state governments inevitably worsen instead of improve — such as housing affordability.
Often, government action is part or all of the problem, and the best solution is for government to step back and encourage the free market to take over. Bridges and buildings built a hundred years ago often went up much faster and lasted much longer than the structures built today, as many regulations actually create new problems rather than solving old ones. The housing affordability crisis is such an instance where government meddling is a major part of the issue.
The solution is deregulation. For example, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner explained on Fox News this week that the “regulatory environment is burdensome in our country, and so at HUD, we've taken down burdensome regulation [such as] Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, which made HUD a national zoning board, restoring local control back to the cities, back to the states, back to the localities.”
Related: Sec. Turner: ‘Burdensome Regulation’ Fuels Affordability Crisis
His comments highlight the fact that excessive government regulation, instead of making prices lower or renting and buying easier, just retards building and raises prices. That’s what politicians like Commie Zohran Mamdani don’t want to admit with their rent control and subsidized housing schemes (not to mention wasted taxpayer money). As Turner explained, “We're encouraging every locality ‘take inventory of your regulatory environment to see how you can unleash building and development in your said community.’ And so these ideas taken down the regulatory environment, public-private partnerships are all part of the plan.”
In contrast to Turner’s sensible view is the Democrats’ unending regulation that hurts the very people it claims to help. Realtor Mauricio Umansky believes Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is one such authoritarian meddler. Bass, who already created scandal by slow-rolling the rebuild of the burned Palisades, is now doubling down on rent control.
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Umansky told Fox Businesd the new LA four percent cap on annual rent increases for certain units won’t solve anything. “What rent control does is give short-term relief to owners, to renters, but it does not resolve the problem,” Umansky said. “The problem is solved by capitalism, and the problem is solved by having more supply.”
Like Turner, Umansky believes deregulation is the solution. “We need to fix the long-term problem,” he insisted. “Cut the red tape, increase supply, give tax incentives to builders so that we have a larger supply. The larger supply and the lesser demand lowers prices, creates affordability.”
California is infamous for its burdensome regulations that strangle development and growth. The state’s economy is in the sewer thanks to excessive government action. What it really needs is not yet another government non-solution, but rather a free market makeover.
