After the thousands of years of human history I've read about, getting rid of competitors seems to have been the primary concern of most of the ruling classes all over the world. Way back to Ur.
IMO owning an unoccupied house thats off-market, or prohibitively-priced is probably a gambling chip.
IF there are ANY families in the same county that are homeless, it should begin being taxed as a gambling-chip. Sell-it very soon or it may used for a free shelter for however it remains unoccupied by the owner.
It's my opinion that housing is so basic a need that no house should be allowed to use for a gambling chip.
The 'housing market' needs to be broken in favor of individual ownership. (For many, speculation has driven ownership out of reach.)
Only individuals may purchase individual homes, and must agree to occupy them as their primary and only residences until they sell and vacate them. (Live-in landlords included, e.g. boarders.)
As part of the deal, they must first find another individual buyer (under the same terms) for their present home.
(Futher stipluations needed, but none that permit violation of the above principle. )
"We don't pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes." - Leona Helmsley. (~ 1989)
(Convicted of extortion; sentenced to 16 years; released after months.) Her husband's death left her with the Helmsley hotels, the Helmsley Palace and the Empire State Building. (Yes, that one.)
Hmm. Sure, Vlad. Wait: how much will that pay, per child per month?
There might be a slim chance. But in the words of mid-20th-century writer Robert Anton Wilson,
"Under the present brutal and primitive conditions on this planet, every person you meet should be regarded as one of the walking wounded. We have never seen a man or woman not slightly deranged by either anxiety or grief. We have never seen a totally sane human being."
Eventually there has to be one, so try to hold on to that idea.
Guess not, Gnome desktops have nothing on them.
MANY products have seen slow shrinkage over the last decade. 16>13 oz. chip bags, 13 cookies instead 16 .... That candy bar that used to be 3" across is now 2.5 " across? Result: 2/3 of the surface area = 50% more profit. The price stays the same and they hope you don't notice how much less you're getting. Another side of this is the drop in the quality of ingredients.
I ... don't get it. What is the purpose of a tax writeoff? Suppose it saves them money this year. But they lose a much larger profit. Is it being saved for later when their fortunes are lower?
Who has referred to vets as losers and suckers.
While YT is playing its games, I've found a half-dozen other ways to get at the videos. Very educational. I'm thinking they are learning a whole bunch about what people think of their way-too-aggressive approach ... and how people usually respond to that behavior.
Great film... and nobody but Robin could have done that scene so well. Phew.