e.g. they disproportionately harm the working poor. I know, it's counter intuitive because when we think poor we think no property. That's why I said the _working_ poor. In America if you're just scraping by virtually all of your wealth is tied up in property, specifically your primary domicile (aka your house). About 20-30% of your income goes to this one investment. It's generally not worth very much, and at times it even loses value. But it's the only investment you can afford.

We fund services with property taxes because a) The rich get out of paying them because most of their wealth is tied up with the stock market and other forms of property with much lower taxes (or many, many more loopholes) and b) for the few taxes the rich pay it's easy for them to keep that money in their neighborhoods and ensure that it's not spent on the lower castes. This is why we fund our schools with property taxes while more decent folks (the Netherlands IIRC) mandate equal funding for all schools...

and Arkham City were rock solid stable. Origins, made by the same developer as Knight, is a buggy mess.

The state has plenty of reason to be involved. There's tonnes of property rights, power of attorney rights, responsibilities in regards to children, etc. It's almost childishly simplistic to say the State has no business there. You might as well endorse anarchy and call it a day.

See, the thing about the religious right is that they firmly believe that God punishes them for your sins. So it's absolutely critical to them that you follow their personal beliefs...

How does this ruling effect local ordinances that make gay sec illegal. I think Texas and v the South still have a few...

I wouldn't be caught dead sharing my wi-fi. There are companies that try to make a living threatening to sue you if they see downloads coming from your IP. Even if you're innocent it costs more to litigate than to just pay, but you're still out $5k...

is I have to be OK myself before I can help out others. Like that Bruce Springsteen song "We take care of our Own". The correct response is to take care of things back home then worry about the rest of the world.

My buddy and I were talking about this. Top Gear on SNES in 1993: $55 bucks at launch. Forza 5 on Xbox One in 2014 with all DLC $120. About the same adjusted for inflation, but Forza 5 is a damn sight more intricate a game.

sorta anyway. The thing I hate about "inflation" is that when most folks talk about it they include luxury goods (BMWs, yachts, vacation homes, etc). Nobody ever talks about real inflation: Food, Shelter, Healthcare, Eduction, Transportation. I guess that's not 1 thing, but for the working class it's what really matters.

God I'm sick of folks trying to fit the supply/demand crap they learned in High School into the real world. The problem is _real_ simple:

1. Real Wages have been falling for 40 years, to the point where wages for many jobs are what they were 20 years ago after 20 years of inflation. Outsourcing + lack of protectionism and free trade nonsense did this.

2. Capital has concentrated into the hands of a lucky few (the "1%" as they're called) and they have no incentive to build more houses when they're making obscene profits off the existing supply.

Said it before, say it again: Globalism _breaks_ capitalism. All your left with is oligarchy and kleptocracy.

there's other ways this can play out. We've been putting all our eggs in one basket and letting the top 1% have almost all the capital. There's very few people with the money to build a sizable number of homes. Those people are part of the investor class, and they're going to put their money where it will make money.

So if you figured out that flooding the market with houses will devalue the existing properties (which they own, since they own damn near everything) what makes you think they haven't? And if that's the case what's to say they won't just skip the whole "Supply" part of "Supply and Demand"? What do we do when 1% of the population has all the capital and they decide to limit supply to increase the value of that capital? In the past it was violent revolution, but with today's military and police that's not really an option.

Now would be a good time to start doing something about income inequality and wealth concentration. Either that or get used to the idea of a new "Dark Ages"...

Can't wait to go see 'em.

And did you read the grandparent? The supply is being constricted by billionaire fuckholes buying up all the existing properties instead of building new ones because it's _way_ more profitable to own a limited supply than to make more. Supply & Demand breaks down when you get the kinds of crazy rich we have here in America because they start actively molding the markets.

but the H1-Bs have a pretty big impact here. They're guaranteed renters. There's no way to move into a house when you can't claim residency in the country.

it's all well and good to say don't buy a cell phone but a) it puts you at a social disadvantage and b) it only really saves about $1200 year for a family of 3, but rent on a crummy 3 bedroom apartment is damn near that. So after 10 years I can't even pay a years worth of rent...

Millennials have already cut the cord. They have Internet, but they needed that to get their jobs. In America where these abuses happen most you have to own a car or again, no job. Sure, you might get by for a year or two without one, but pretty soon you're gonna have to leave your job for a better one. That's how you move up now.

See, wages in this country have been declining for everyone but the top 1% for 40 years. It's gotten to the point where a job pays the same now as it did in 1995 after 20 years of inflation. Unless you won the lottery in life (rich parent, good genetics that make math a cinch, etc) you're not gonna save shit. It's all the rank and file can do to keep their heads above water.

Still, it does feel good to keep telling ourselves that if we just save a little money it'll all work out. It beats the hell out of facing how fuck we really, really are...

with the added benefit that claims work can be done completely overseas where ever labor's the cheapest. Can we _please_ have some protectionist policies back?