Nowhere within my post did I claim the government started the fires. However, it does sound like you are ok with the government...err how did you put it?
"Capitalizing on a tragedy is what governments do best"
I would argue your last point...that "suddenly there is a lot more housing in an area that, even before the fire, desperately needed it"
I never claimed you did. I was more talking about the conspiracy theory. Sorry for not being clear.
I'm not "okay" with it. I'm just stating it how it is. Think about almost any natural disaster in the past, idk, century. I'm willing to bet that more times than not, the government or leaders capitalized on the disaster in one way or another.
The glaring reason that more housing is desperately needed is due to the fact that the government of California has been allowing a flood of illegal immigrants into their state and our country for, literally, decades now, effectively displacing US citizens.
*Sigh* okay dude, I get it, but the economy of CA, especially it's massive agricultural sector, relies on migrant workers. Most agriculture in general relies on undocumented immigrants according to the USDA. Undocumented or not (most are undocumented), without them food would cost a lot more than it already does (at least until we figure out how to use robots to do the work that currently only human labor can do). We're already seeing the consequences of cracking down on undocumented immigrants - prices are rising, social welfare have less budget (undocumented immigrants pay into social welfare but rarely receive any benefits, and Newson just cut some major welfare programs from them), and farmers (US citizens) are starting to panic (
source). Very few people want to do that work (understandably), and we have no plan to replace them. That's a recipe for increased food prices / food shortages.
In a state where a mass exodus of citizenry has been fleeing to other parts of the country for the better part of a decade the argument of desperately needed housing falls flat in the face of a flood of illegal immigrants.
This crap again? People have been claiming this for decades. Still hasn't happened. The fact that housing prices are
still increases proves my point. If people were so desperate to not be here, why are people buying homes for higher costs than ever? Stupidity? Probably a little. But our population is
increasing now (
source). People leave the state get replaced by people moving to the state.
Are there problems? Yes. Every state has their problems. Texas and Florida are sexist and rely on undocumented immigrants way more than they want to admit. Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alaska, and New Mexico have the highest rates of volant crime in the county. The South in general high the highest rates of poverty in the county. Oregon and CA have a homelessness problem. Every single state has major issues worthy of fleeing, and people are "fleeing" those states too.
I will agree that people who commit crimes are often desperate, if that is what you meant...however that does not entitle them to housing stolen from US citizens due to a fire that was a result of government incompetency and overreach.
Blaming the housing problem solely, or even mostly, on undocumented immigrants is silly and, imo, ignorant. Blaming the government alone for the fire is silly too. They may be one aspect, but it's not the only and, arguably, is far from the biggest contributors. The problem is far, far more complex than some simple "point figure at group" and ignore the real issues. Boiling the issue down to one problem is what people love to do. Seriously, name a politician and I guarantee there's many things they try to solve by blaming one thing while ignoring dozens of other causes. "Blame the symptom, not the illness" as it were. It makes things simple. But nothing is simple. Problem is, trying to fix the illness quickly is political or economic suicide, even when it "needs" to be done.
What I find really ironic is that now that there's a huge crackdown on immigrates, construction costs and construction time in the state (or at least my area - Bay Area) have ballooned. Many of the contractors I work with are having a hard time finding people to do construction work, even though there's a lot less construction happening.
Again, I'm not saying we ignore these issues. I'm not saying these aren't issues. I'm saying sometimes there are bigger issues at play than some simplified political talking point. In relation tot he post, construction in the state is absurd. Speeding up the permit process doesn't change that. Deporting people doesn't change that. Freezing building codes where they are doesn't change that. Reducing taxes probably wouldn't solve it.
I'll end my unhinged rant with this: Ever since COVID (probably before, but it really took off in COVID), the US has operated like there are no consequences to actions. Stock market is at an all time high when it
really shouldn't be. The federal deficit is set for a few trillion dollar expansion. The way we measure things (economically) is factually flawed and designed to show a better result than reality. Stupid trade wars increasing construction costs (equipment costs). People expecting the stock market and housing values to increase forever. Treating housing as an "investment" rather than a place to live. Half-measured "attempts" to fix housing. A crackdown on people with no plan to replace them. Sooner or later, kicking these cans down the road will come back to bite us, and the longer we kick them, the harder it'll bite. I, for one, am excited to see how people try to spin it.
