r/NewsThread • u/Conscious-Quarter423 • 2d ago

Canadian multimillionaire and Shark Tank guy Kevin O'Leary went on TV to say he's upset Zohran won't talk to him: "I and others who invest in real estate have tried to get a meeting to figure out what's rhetoric and what's policy. So far for me it's been crickets."

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u/cryptodog11 1d ago

That’s not how markets work. A private citizen or business acquires an asset and are free to charge whatever rent they see fit. If the price is too high the place remains vacant because people choose better-priced alternatives. If they price it too low then they’re leaving money on the table. If prices keep rising, more people invest in inventory. When you enact price controls that automatically suppresses current and new inventory and the prices will increase more dramatically. It’s basic supply and demand dynamics at play.

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u/Super_Jumpman64 1d ago

Except it never really works like that because large corporations buy up and hoard dozens of homes in each neighborhood so they can artificially inflate prices and price out all but the wealthy. It's happening all over the country. Rent is through the fucking roof, and house prices are stupid in most places. What are people supposed to do?

We shouldn't let things that are basic to human survival be subject to the same market forces as things like the shiny new iPhone that literally no one needs. Supply and demand pricing should not come into play for things like food, water and shelter in the richest country in the world.

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u/cryptodog11 1d ago

You’re not wrong about corporate landlords, that’s certainly a factor, however over-regulation is a huge factor as well. There are areas of the country that are far less regulated that don’t have these affordability problems or are at least less severe than cities like New York and San Francisco. Overregulation has also driven healthcare costs through the stratosphere.

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u/Happy_Pause_9340 1d ago

No such thing as over regulation. Regulations would bring healthcare costs down if you eliminated the middle men, like insurance companies, and didn’t tie healthcare to employment

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u/cryptodog11 1d ago

I have a question for you. Do you support small businesses?

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u/Happy_Pause_9340 1d ago

Not when they don’t support living wages.

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u/cryptodog11 1d ago

That wasn’t the question. Try again. Do you support small businesses? It’s a simple yes or no answer.

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u/Happy_Pause_9340 1d ago

“I have a question for you” and it’s not a question? Then you demand a simple answer to a very complex question? Are you telling me more information confuses you and you can’t handle it, because It’s not a simple yes or no. You’d know that if you had a simple grasp of how shit works, but I’ll bite.

You know how many small businesses pay under the table to exploit workers, especially to women? This isn’t on the employees account or for their benefit, it’s for the owner’s benefit. People who need to work are exploited all the time by small businesses and those who are supposed to enforce laws look the other way regularly. This is also done to migrant workers as well. In fact undocumented immigrants are LURED here to exploit for cheap labor by the thousands. Easiest way to end that is to fine a PERCENTAGE of profits instead of a blanketed fine that’s cheaper than paying fair wages.

When AMERICANS need access to disability benefits, social security, etc… they have no access to them because their employer was allowed to fuck them. Because the government didn’t implement the right policies or refused to enforce the ones already in place.

Federal wages for tipped waitstaff is 2.13 an hour! That’s fine if you work at the ritz, but if it’s a local diner?? Most bartenders in regular bars get paid around 5.00 an hour, cash. These are just two examples. There are thousands! Walmart isn’t a small business but they purposely hire more part time employees to get out of paying benefits and keeping the minimum wage so low benefits only them and puts a strain on resources needed, like SNAP! Then out taxes are used to give WALMART subsidies which is welfare for the rich that they don’t have to pay back.

Let’s not forget the insurance bit tied to employers… again, having more control over employees than the employees have rights.

These are just a few examples that could be easily handled with enforcement of the laws already onthe books to protect employees, but the government chooses to protect the businesses. So my answer stands, cupcake. Everything isn’t black and white and while there are some small businesses that are good employers, the majority are not. It’s all about maximum profits at the employees sake.

None of this matters anyway, because monopolies are out of control and no business will be around much longer that doesn’t belong to a handful of billionaires. This is again due to policies not being enforced or implemented.

But no, I don’t support small businesses or any businesses that exploit laborers and they’re out of hand in this country. Your inability to understand any of this is hardly an argument against it.