[seanmcdirmid]

> So obviously Seattleites who oppose residential development should just promote more crime.

I knew the fent addicts on the D line in Ballard were good for something! But seriously, you know, there are two sure fire ways to lower housing prices: make the place a crappier place to live, or just get rid of jobs/economic activity. My dad was in Seattle working for Boeing after Vietnam, and got hit by the "will the last person to leave Seattle turn out the lights" Boeing bust. It is kind of like falling oil prices: you know, drilling more doesn't really affect the price of oil as much as reduced demand due to an economic recession.

> That's a collective action/free-rider problem, where the positive externalities of good public policies of one community are captured in part by other, cheating groups.

Isn't that the main problem? This is the main problem with progressivism at a local level: even if you are making the world a better place, you could be failing to improve your place (seeing no benefit for your money) or actually making it worse (seeing negative benefit for your money). How many of us are saints who are willing to sacrifice our own lives for the greater good?