[greenfield1]

If those "market prices" are not enough to pay for somebody's housing, then they are not truly "market prices". Nobody is going to accept employment at that rate since they can't live off it. So it's not actually the "market price". It only is if there are recent deals made at that price.

It's like saying "well I'm only asking for market prices" when offering somebody to sell some stock to for 100 USD even though they and everybody around them only want to pay 50 USD. That doesn't make 100 USD the "market price". Only if you've seen some recent trades for 100 USD, then it's the "market price".

[carlosjobim]

> If those "market prices" are not enough to pay for somebody's housing, then they are not truly "market prices".

Housing really is the unbalanced part of the equation. Yes, I agree that salaries should increase - a lot. But we can't turn a blind eye that there is a massive civilization-destroying crush of the population by the landed gentry, who demand that just about all surplus production of the continent becomes profit for them. Companies and labourers produce goods and services that benefit all, the rent seekers produce nothing and burdens all.

[greenfield1]

Those "rent seekers" are the investors that provide you with capital to build something in the first place. They don't produce anything physical directly with their own hands, but if they don't provide the funds, then nobody else would either. The HN crowd of all people should understand this. Your salady doesn't come out of thin air. It comes from somebody believing in that the thing you are hopefully going to produce will hopefully eventually produce a profit that flows back to them. Without this believe, there would not be an investment in the first place and thus no salary for you.

Of course this leads to accumulation of wealth, which can be an issue for society if it goes to far. And I agree that that's happening and that we can't turn a blind eye to it. But the solution here is not to make villains out of investors, but to tax profits. Seems to be hard to get that into peoples heads though, especially in the U.S. where taxes are always viewed as something bad.

[carlosjobim]

> Those "rent seekers" are the investors that provide you with capital to build something in the first place. They don't produce anything physical directly with their own hands, but if they don't provide the funds, then nobody else would either.

Read my comment again, I'm not calling company investors rent-seekers - I'm saying those who live off other's labour through their real estate are rent seekers.

It's pretty funny that 99% of "investors" do not invest a dime in actual companies that produce goods and services. Instead most invest in rental properties to leech of their fellow man or invest in land with the excitement that it will increase in value and that they can price-gouge somebody who might need it for something productive.

When I talk to everyday people, what are their dreams? It's not striking out on a business with their own great idea, it's not even investing in interesting ventures by others. The dream is always the same: Buy some rental property and live care-free on the rent that others pay. It's pathetic.