Comment by internaut | Hacker News Reader

Comment by internaut | Hacker News Reader

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Have you seen the 1920s Sears Catalogue houses?

http://www.searshomes.org/index.php/2011/07/03/oklahomas-fir...

That house would only cost $47k in 2016 dollars.

The TH movement is primarily about economics. I don't think it would exist if there were new quality houses available in that price range.

Pardon my french, but isn't it just fucking amazing how we've 'progressed' with automation in a century and many of us are still working for decades just to afford mere shelter? It's often not even to a high spec.

I sometimes look at that Primitive Technology guy and think "You know, that looks like a lot of work, but it only took him three days to construct that hut and he could rebuild it every year and it would still be way more cost effective per labour unit than anything we're doing right now!"

>Pardon my french, but isn't it just fucking amazing how we've 'progressed' with automation in a century and many of us are still working for decades just to afford mere shelter? It's often not even to a high spec.

Yes but why is it this way?

I think the best answer is that (in the US) the state has heavily restricted the supply of land available for development in desirable areas (through zoning, etc) and also heavily subsidized demand by nationalizing the mortgage market.

This has pumped up several large sectors of the economy (FIRE) which would otherwise be subject to ordinary economic supply and demand. They all profit from home sales, construction and insurance, and have made certain that the state guarantees their revenue.

Ordinary home buyers go along with the deal because they get cheaper loan rates and more loan principal than a purely private finance market would ever provide.

It's a similar tale of woe in the UK.

I suspect it is an overhang from the Cold War - preventing the spread of Communism by the 'property owning society'.

It's hard not to throw your hands up in the air, so much of the nonsense is legacy code. 'Going to Washington' is like fighting against quicksand.

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