The great thing about a federal system is that you are going to have enclaves of freaks, pervs, and weirdos like San Francisco. That is what makes this country great. If they want public gay oral sex to be legal then so be it. You don't have to live there. I am non too fond of San Fran and I take it that this author is non too fond of - heck - 99% of the friggin country. Seeing that the freak culture he thrives and revels in is about 1 percent of the population of this country it is more than a little abusrd to describe the rest of the country in the terms he does. Who has the small mind here? Who is "progressive"? Perhaps someone should remind this author that while he may be "progressive" he is certianly ignorant and bigoted.
Oh- and Mr. economist? San Fran's housing prices aren't sky high because it is a great place to live. They are sky high because insane socialist laws like rent control, anti landlord regulations, "open space" building prohibitions, and other totally whacko envirnomental regs. Wonder why there is no "affordable" housing in San Fran? Becasue a developer would be insane to build any sort of lower income housing is San Fran with the current climate. The only new housing that ever gets built is luxary aparts by developers with the cash and connections to jump through the hoops.
Oh- and ask black people in San Fran about how diverse it is. Oh- that's right- there are barely any left as they are being driven out by the busload becasue they can't afford to live in your lilly white (but "progressive") gay wasteland.
Oh- and Mr. economist? San Fran's housing prices aren't sky high because it is a great place to live. They are sky high because insane socialist laws like rent control, anti landlord regulations, "open space" building prohibitions, and other totally whacko envirnomental regs. Wonder why there is no "affordable" housing in San Fran? Becasue a developer would be insane to build any sort of lower income housing is San Fran with the current climate. The only new housing that ever gets built is luxary aparts by developers with the cash and connections to jump through the hoops. Oh- and ask black people in San Fran about how diverse it is. Oh- that's right- there are barely any left as they are being driven out by the busload becasue they can't afford to live in your lilly white (but "progressive") gay wasteland.
Bravo!!! Just try to find an actual poor person in this "progressive paradise" these days. Other than the (white) AIDS sufferers who have spent all their savings and retirement on drugs after enjoying that wonderful San Francisco lifestyle that is now killing them. Liberals just LOVE poor people as long as they don't have to see any!
I actually have friends who moved to New York City from San Francisco because it was cheaper to live there! There hasn't been a new development of single family homes in San Francisco County for something like 15 years.
Real estate prices in SF are no different than of the region as a whole; part of the reason for this no doubt are zoning and no-growth laws.
Yeah, he not only writes a crappy column but he gets his facts wrong. The housing market is strong nationwide:
http://www.realtor.org/rmoDaily.nsf/AllStories/050703#D1F54B630 NAR: Housing On Track For Second-Best Year
(May 7) -- A firming economy and a continuation of historically low mortgage interest rates mean 2003 is likely to be the second-best year on record for the housing market, according to the National Association of REALTORS.
David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, said home sales are at a sustainable pace. "With most of the disruptions of unusual weather and war behind us, home sales should be fairly stable going forward," he said. "The current level of activity is on track with our forecast, which would make this the second-best year ever for home sales."
Lereah said the 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate should move only gradually and rise slowly to 6.3 percent by the end of the year. "This will pinch some buyers at the margins of qualifying for a loan, but will not significantly impact the overall market. We also expect the economy to gain momentum in the second half of the year, brightening the job market and boosting consumer confidence," Lereah said.
NAR projects 5.53 million existing-home sales in 2003, down 0.7 percent from the record of 5.57 million sales last year. New-home sales should total 956,000 units this year, which also would be the second-best on record, down 1.8 percent from 974,000 sales in 2002. Housing starts are seen to total 1.72 million units in 2003, up 0.6 percent from last year.
The national median existing-home price is expected to rise 5.1 percent this year to $166,400, while the median new-home price should rise 3.2 percent this year to $193,500.
Growth in the U.S. gross domestic product is projected to improve during the second half of the year, reaching an annual growth rate of 3.9 percent in the third quarter. Although GDP will average only 2.3 percent for the year, it should rise to 3.5 percent in 2004. Consumer price inflation is likely to be 2.6 percent for this year.
NAR expects inflation-adjusted disposable personal income to grow 2.6 percent in 2003, while the unemployment rate should peak at 6.0 percent in the current quarter and then decline to 5.8 percent end of the year. The consumer confidence index is expected to rise to 90 by the in the fourth quarter.
For example, in NC:
http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/All/D195DB97F#10E9FA7866CF95E886256D19004E7CEE N.C: Brunswick County Market is Hot
(May 1) -- Brunswick County, N.C., saw an 82.5-percent boost in residential property resales in 2003's first quarter from the same period a year ago as buyers flocked to the barrier islands. In fact, sales skyrocketed 58 percent for all of last year due to demand for oceanfront properties among retirees, investors, and vacation-home buyers.
Sales reached record heights on Bald Head Island last year; and Oak Island also is experiencing a boom. Cheaper land and a "tear-down" trend contributed to the market's growth, with developers replacing groups of smaller homes with single, large dwellings.
Elsewhere in the state, sales rose 8.7 percent in Wilmington, 15 percent in Greenville, and 2.5 percent in Charlotte.
Source: Myrtle Beach Sun News (04/30/03); Bailey, Issac J.
Your entire response is on the mark. Good job!
