Blecher_onthe_Hudson

Blecher_onthe_Hudson t1_j3xpciq wrote

Big difference between Capitalism and 'rent seeking', though the rent seekers spend a lot of effort trying to blur it.

My favorite podcast episode ever is 2 academic Libertarians arguing about whether Capitalism is inevitably corrupt and devolves into crony capitalism, and after an hour they basically gave up and conceded. They said any corporation that grows large enough reaches a point where the next dollar is better invested in "rent seeking", (e.g. buying influence, market protection and subsidies), rather than just growing their business. Any CEO who didn't do it would be replaced by the shareholders, or the company would be bought by investors recognizing it was "underperforming". Of course being Libertarians, their only solution is having a government so small that it can't hand out goodies. https://www.econtalk.org/michael-munger-on-crony-capitalism/

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson t1_j3pcgux wrote

I dunno, ever gotten exterior prices? I would not be surprised if stripping and redoing that was well into 6 figures. Every time I walk past it seeing the failing exterior makes me queasy, some contractor told the owner that he knew how to do that, no problem! I paid a mason to do front stairs work and 4 years later it was way worse than when he started.

I've long described hiring contractors like flinging yourself off a cliff into the ocean and hoping a wave is covering the rocks when you hit. Even good ones leave you easter eggs you find years later...

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_j3n8yv0 wrote

You would be correct if we were talking about cat pictures, but this sub is the closest thing we have to a decent online community for our real life community, and I personally believe we should try to act like neighbors here instead of Internet assholes.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_j3n8k4t wrote

Ah, I guess I don't get blocked very often, I guess I was naive to believe it when it said "deleted". That's fascinating anyway that someone would block me after they posted incorrect information and insulted me!

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson t1_j3m6zu6 wrote

I've been meaning to ask if anyone knew what the story was about this thing too! I can't believe it has sat there this long dripping chunks off the facade. Is there a years long legal battle for possession?

It would be interesting to try to figure out just exactly where they are as an investment. Assuming 1 owner and borrowed money, the property has appreciated certainly more than the taxes paid but a lot depends on what rate the money for construction was borrowed.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson t1_j3enp5f wrote

Is that actually a thing? Can you get someone towed from the street in front of your driveway by a private company? I thought it had to be from private property like a lot for the private towing. Certainly the Parking people, (whatever they are called now that they're not an Authority) will not do it, it's hard to get them to issue a ticket.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson t1_j37xsmd wrote

I've had this sort of conversation about 'shortcuts' a lot. Before we were empty nesters we made bread in a breadmaker often, at least once a week. For challah we pull it out before it bakes to braid it and bake in the oven. "Purists" will go on & on about how they love the feel of kneading bread and would never use a breadmaker, but very few of them would make fresh bread every week!

Dumplings are similar, a fun rainy day project, but also great to pull out of the freezer whenever you're feeling the need. Sauce is also critical: soy, vinegar, simple syrup, microplaned garlic & ginger, and sesame oil.

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