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by mdavidn 2327 days ago
Each time you interact with anyone employed in your area, you should ask about their commute. There's a good chance that the staff who care for your children, the staff who stocks your groceries, the staff that cleans your workplace, all have soul-crushing commutes. Your "managed growth" policy forces _them_ to pay for your "small town culture" with their time. That's gentrification, by definition.
1 comments

What makes you think I don't commute to afford being here? You still haven't addressed how making my property taxes double is going to encourage me to accept poorly planned building ... I'd argue I would be doubly against it. Again, anyone that purchases a house now pays taxes on the market rate. People buy in my town not for jobs but for the culture and location ... If houses get cheaper here the wealthy will just buy two. Now if you said something thoughtful like eliminate prop 13 for anything but primary household you might be onto something but otherwise you're failing to convince me. You might also stress increasing minimum wages such as my town recently enacted. I'm curious if the obvious will happen: business that rely on ultra cheap labor will fold (which I'm ok with) and/or more workers will be attracted from further away (which I'm not ok with). I know Costco and Starbucks already pay a bit above state minimum and a large portion of the service industry folk I patronize are my town neighbors. Why do you have a problem with improving to middle class taste? I definitely prefer my neighbors not living in squalor.