Biden / Harris Focused Discussion

[Elegiac]

Dunno why they’re going after those first rather than putting brightness regulations on LED headlights lol.

[Edge-]

Dunno why they’re going after those first rather than putting brightness regulations on LED headlights lol.

Real talk, this is why I do my best not to drive at night. Between my astigmatism, a probably slightly outdated prescription, and the fact that I live in a wealthier area (wish I was rich too but oh well) where everyone drives modern cars, with a lot of electric SUV's/Rivian trucks and shit that all SEEM TO AUTOMATICALLY FUCKIN TURN THE BRIGHTS ON AND OFF AND BLIND YOU WITH THE POWER OF 1,000 SUNS BEFORE THE COMPUTER DIMS THE LED'S TO ONLY 50 SUNS. I swear headlights are getting angled higher and higher too, fuckin every shitty modern car's lights are right in my fuckin eyes. I hate having to move my head because the fucking car behind me has blinding LED's reflecting in my side mirrors.

I've straight up pulled over to let cars pass me when that shit happens. This is an actual problem. Unless you're in some shitty lifted truck or gigantic fucking SUV that you use to go to the grocery store and home and occasionally take your single child to their soccer game because why have a car that makes sense when you could overpay for some gigantic monstrosity that everyone else on the road has to suffer?

I have some thoughts on this topic. Just a few.

[Odinfrost]

Real talk, this is why I do my best not to drive at night. Between my astigmatism, a probably slightly outdated prescription, and the fact that I live in a wealthier area (wish I was rich too but oh well) where everyone drives modern cars, with a lot of electric SUV's/Rivian trucks and shit that all SEEM TO AUTOMATICALLY FUCKIN TURN THE BRIGHTS ON AND OFF AND BLIND YOU WITH THE POWER OF 1,000 SUNS BEFORE THE COMPUTER DIMS THE LED'S TO ONLY 50 SUNS. I swear headlights are getting angled higher and higher too, fuckin every shitty modern car's lights are right in my fuckin eyes. I hate having to move my head because the fucking car behind me has blinding LED's reflecting in my side mirrors.

I've straight up pulled over to let cars pass me when that shit happens. This is an actual problem. Unless you're in some shitty lifted truck or gigantic fucking SUV that you use to go to the grocery store and home and occasionally take your single child to their soccer game because why have a car that makes sense when you could overpay for some gigantic monstrosity that everyone else on the road has to suffer?

I have some thoughts on this topic. Just a few.

Amen to that. I hate driving or even walking outside because 75-90% of all cars are BLINDING

[Kaleredar]

I have mixed feelings about high-rise apartments. I would not want to live in one. Apparently, a lot of people felt the same way. I use the picture of San Francisco below to illustrate. The high-rise side is experiencing a decline.

Well, that's part of the issue. Even if High-rise apartments are "better" for any number of technical or city-planning reasons... the ultimate question is do people want to live in them? If people would rather live in a house, then houses will be the prime commodity, as will the land that they sit on. And as I said, one can tell people that they should want to live in an apartment because it's better land utilization, doesn't create suburban sprawl, yadda yadda yadda, but... at the end of the day, I'd still say most people's "dream," at least in America, is to own a home. That's just the cultural perception.

[Sunseeker]

Well, that's part of the issue. Even if High-rise apartments are "better" for any number of technical or city-planning reasons... the ultimate question is do people want to live in them? If people would rather live in a house, then houses will be the prime commodity, as will the land that they sit on. And as I said, one can tell people that they should want to live in an apartment because it's better land utilization, doesn't create suburban sprawl, yadda yadda yadda, but... at the end of the day, I'd still say most people's "dream," at least in America, is to own a home. That's just the cultural perception.

A lot of people who talk big about the benefits of apartments and high-rises really ignore this. Whenever I watch videos about urban planning, they always proceed in the same manner:
Suburbs bad.
Top-down high-rise developments bad.
Land use bad.
People should live in apartments!

There's not really a whole lot being done to attract people to apartments, and there's an awful lot that overlook just how shitty neighbors the average American is. Anyone who's lived in apartment, a dorm, a townhome or other dense living space can probably tell you any number of horror stories about obnoxious, noisy, dirty, or downright stupid neighbors. And I'm not even talking about violent crime. I'm talking about people who want to install a ceiling fan and drill into your floor. People who don't properly clean their tub and it floods your apartment. People who crank up the volume through paper-thin walls because we don't have standards that require the walls to be sufficiently insulated between units.

And the solution is always to limit who can live there, to limit what they can do there, and the restrictions and exclusivity drive away consumers. People who view homeownership as independence and responsibility, not being treated like children, not being forced to pay high repair costs for simple fixes you can do yourself. Not having to deal with nosy first-floor neighbors who think they're the king of the condo. To not deal with some corporate "portfolio manager" whose primary motivation is generating profit for some hedge fund than ensuring everyone living there is happy and their building is in good shape.

I bought a house to NOT deal with the shit I had to put up when I lived in apartments.

[Somewhatconcerned]

Biden's support dwindles month after month.

Does he get the Walter Mondale treatment in November?


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...ng-biden-poll/

[Endus]

Well, that's part of the issue. Even if High-rise apartments are "better" for any number of technical or city-planning reasons... the ultimate question is do people want to live in them? If people would rather live in a house, then houses will be the prime commodity, as will the land that they sit on. And as I said, one can tell people that they should want to live in an apartment because it's better land utilization, doesn't create suburban sprawl, yadda yadda yadda, but... at the end of the day, I'd still say most people's "dream," at least in America, is to own a home. That's just the cultural perception.

The biggest part of the problem is we still build apartments and even condos mostly to be shitty-ass housing. You should be able to get apartments and condos that are 4 beds, 3 baths and possibly two floors. Like, commonly. Instead, it's mostly topping out at 3-bedroom setups. You can have gorgeous apartments that are great for families. You've just gotta build them.

There's even tons of selling points. Better views! No lawncare/snow clearing! In-building services! If your place is fancy enough to have a front doorman or has specialized package mailboxes, package deliveries can be safe from porch pirates!

[Kaleredar]

The biggest part of the problem is we still build apartments and even condos mostly to be shitty-ass housing. You should be able to get apartments and condos that are 4 beds, 3 baths and possibly two floors. Like, commonly. Instead, it's mostly topping out at 3-bedroom setups. You can have gorgeous apartments that are great for families. You've just gotta build them.

There's even tons of selling points. Better views! No lawncare/snow clearing! In-building services! If your place is fancy enough to have a front doorman or has specialized package mailboxes, package deliveries can be safe from porch pirates!

I don't think the "do I want to live in a house or do I want to live in an apartment?" is a question that most people find they're asking themselves. For the most part, you live in an apartment if you can't afford a house, or if no houses are available to live in. In that sense, apartments aren't competing with houses in any realistic sense, so there's nothing incentivizing apartments to be more appealing than houses would be.

There's no reason for the apartment complexes, or rather, whatever broad land baron corporations that own them, to go above and beyond in paying out to provide amenities and broad floor plans so long as a certain income range or geographical area is basically beholden to choosing one of them.

Biden's support dwindles month after month.

Does he get the Walter Mondale treatment in November?


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...ng-biden-poll/

What's unintentionally hilarious about what you just posted is that, according to the polls, Trump has the lowest approval of any GOP candidate among a general audience.

But guess who the GOP candidate is going to be?

[Endus]

I don't think the "do I want to live in a house or do I want to live in an apartment?" is a question that most people find they're asking themselves. For the most part, you live in an apartment if you can't afford a house, or if no houses are available to live in. In that sense, apartments aren't competing with houses in any realistic sense, so there's nothing incentivizing apartments to be more appealing than houses would be.

Yes, but the reason it's laid out that way is that apartments generally suck. If you could get an apartment with better living space and amenities than a similarly-sized and -priced single-family home, you'd see a lot more people opting for the apartment, I think.

My current home's a 5 bed, 3.5 baths place. 2 office spaces in "bedrooms" that aren't being used that way. If I look in Ottawa on a major listings site for any condos or apartments with 4+ beds and 3+ baths, there's nothing. Literally not one listing. Add houses, 139 listings (this is just for rentals). If I check a real estate site for the same, for purchase, there's only two condos listed. The cheaper of the two is $2.8 million. Houses with the same start at around $600k. And there's 429 listed.

If you drop it down to 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, there's a bunch of both, and they both start around $300k. That's the rough point where there's a massive break and the only apartment/condo options are luxury ones.

I'd much rather live in a high-rise. I don't have any interest in lawn or garden care or snow clearing. It's just not available at the size I need anywhere close to the price ranges that I can get that in a single-family home.

[Smitzelplix]

Biden's support dwindles month after month.

Does he get the Walter Mondale treatment in November?


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...ng-biden-poll/

Remember when you spent so much time during the 2022 midterm elections predicting a huge red wave because of what the polls kept showing? Remember how that turned out for you?

A lot left to be called but it's clear my wave prediction was wrong.

I'm here, have at me.

I mean if you keep predicting huge Democrat losses each and every election I guess you'll have to be right eventually, but so far your predictions have been off since the 2018 midterm elections, we'll have to see if this is the year that you'll finally be right.

[Shadowferal]

I bought a house to NOT deal with the shit I had to put up when I lived in apartments.

If I ever get the money/income, I'll do the same.

[Flarelaine]

Well, that's part of the issue. Even if High-rise apartments are "better" for any number of technical or city-planning reasons... the ultimate question is do people want to live in them?

It's comparison shopping. In Budapest, where I live, the choices basically come down to 1) 19th-century low-rise buildings in the inner city 2) Soviet-style high-rise apartment blocks further out 3) houses in the suburbs or the hills. In that context, I'm quite happy to live in an apartment block because while some aspects of the construction were shoddy, they can be (and mostly have been) remedied, the building is structurally sound and maintenance access to utilities was actually an important design aspect. Also I get a 9th-floor view of sunrise skies. In contrast, old buildings can be fancy if they have been maintained but are often dilapidated and working on utilities involves dismantling some of the walls. Single-unit houses are fine but they are out in the boonies and/or expensive as fuck.

Afterthought: Single-unit houses cost more to heat, proportionally, because you are losing heat in all directions. Apartment blocks are more heat-efficient.

- - - Updated - - -

Anyone who's lived in apartment, a dorm, a townhome or other dense living space can probably tell you any number of horror stories about obnoxious, noisy, dirty, or downright stupid neighbors.

Our deterrence against noisy neighbours is called Uncle Lou. He's pushing 90 but he stands in the hallway shouting until people stop with the noise.

[Kathandira]

Well, that's part of the issue. Even if High-rise apartments are "better" for any number of technical or city-planning reasons... the ultimate question is do people want to live in them? If people would rather live in a house, then houses will be the prime commodity, as will the land that they sit on. And as I said, one can tell people that they should want to live in an apartment because it's better land utilization, doesn't create suburban sprawl, yadda yadda yadda, but... at the end of the day, I'd still say most people's "dream," at least in America, is to own a home. That's just the cultural perception.

Only 8 of my 42 years have I lived in an actual house. 34 years in Apartments.

I am sooo tired of hearing the noises of other people on the other side of my walls, ceiling, or floor. Especially the sound of children stomping and screaming. I've been working my butt off to save for a house so I can be rid of sharing the same building with other people. Some really like that sort of thing, but it would be very hard to convince me to ever move into another apartment once I have access to a house.

[Benggaul]

What the heck, I might as well join in the derailment...

I fucking hate apartments in their current ubiquitous form. The noise pollution alone is terrible. This is my number one issue and a constant strain on my mental health; hell is other people. "Stupid neighbors" wouldn't be as big a problem except, you know, when one of them tries to have a barbecue on their balcony or do some other stupid shit that means their error could cost the homes--or lives--of everyone else in the building. If you enjoy gardening good luck with that when you live in an apartment. Sure, you can chuck some measly pots out on the balcony if you have a little space and if you have some money you can try your hand at hydroponics--but it's not the same in the least.

Could these and all of the other problems be solved in future apartment buildings? Sure. They could. Will they? No, they absolutely won't be, because that costs money and I am not so blind an optimist I see capitalism dying off. If we lived in some social utopia apartments wouldn't be an issue. But we don't, and they fucking suck for the most part.

So, we done with this or is there really no other Biden administration news besides some unreliable polls that concern trolls like to trot out?

[Elegiac]

Well, that's part of the issue. Even if High-rise apartments are "better" for any number of technical or city-planning reasons... the ultimate question is do people want to live in them? If people would rather live in a house, then houses will be the prime commodity, as will the land that they sit on. And as I said, one can tell people that they should want to live in an apartment because it's better land utilization, doesn't create suburban sprawl, yadda yadda yadda, but... at the end of the day, I'd still say most people's "dream," at least in America, is to own a home. That's just the cultural perception.

And I’d say your only evidence to support that is anecdotal because what Frisco Life Blogger is missing is that the trends he’s reporting exist in a context of a real estate market driven primarily by investment rather than actual residential demand.

It’s also dishonest for y’all to act like “apartments” automatically translates to sardine tin commie blocks.

[AntiFascistVoter]

I was a Biden voter until he didnt suppurt my policy for bespoke-open-floor-plan mass housing. /sssssss

Look, it's not like rowhousing allows for huge backyard BBQs .... or self suficient farm-to-table gardens.

But comrades, I think we can get around this. We can invent solutions for those in high density housing. They could be like communal parks for BBQs, or even communal gardens.

[Rasulis]

Well, that's part of the issue. Even if High-rise apartments are "better" for any number of technical or city-planning reasons... the ultimate question is do people want to live in them? If people would rather live in a house, then houses will be the prime commodity, as will the land that they sit on. And as I said, one can tell people that they should want to live in an apartment because it's better land utilization, doesn't create suburban sprawl, yadda yadda yadda, but... at the end of the day, I'd still say most people's "dream," at least in America, is to own a home. That's just the cultural perception.

Kinda off topic. We don't live in a detached house either. Our home is the upper unit of a duplex. It was an Edwardian mansion (for lack of a better word) that was converted into a duplex in 2000. When they did the seismic retrofit, the foundation was widened from 24" to 72" - 96", so they added another story and it went from 3 stories with basement to 4 stories with basement.

Our unit is the upper two stories, 2,900 sq. ft., 4 bdr/3 bath/laundry room with shared 4-car garage and shared small backyard. Separate street level entrance. Not the home for somebody that hates stairs. Two flights of stairs from the front foyer to the living area, 3 flights from the garage, two flights from the backyard to the kitchen entrance. Another two flights from the living area to the bedrooms.

Our HOA fee is $625/month. Which covers water/sewer, trash, earthquake insurance, landscaping, annual cleaning of the outside sidings including all the windows, maintenance of the solar panels + battery system, and regular painting and roof replacement. Our downstair neighbor pays $715/month because they have more square footage. We do get bills from PG&E for $0.

Been here since the end of 2020, and we and our 4 cats like it a lot.

[Muzjhath]

I don't think the "do I want to live in a house or do I want to live in an apartment?" is a question that most people find they're asking themselves. For the most part, you live in an apartment if you can't afford a house, or if no houses are available to live in. In that sense, apartments aren't competing with houses in any realistic sense, so there's nothing incentivizing apartments to be more appealing than houses would be.

There's no reason for the apartment complexes, or rather, whatever broad land baron corporations that own them, to go above and beyond in paying out to provide amenities and broad floor plans so long as a certain income range or geographical area is basically beholden to choosing one of them.

With the exception of my parents house in the woods I never want to live in a house. Especially not a house I own and need to take care of.
Living in an apartment with managed stuff trumps all of that.

[Rasulis]

And I’d say your only evidence to support that is anecdotal because what Frisco Life Blogger is missing is that the trends he’s reporting exist in a context of a real estate market driven primarily by investment rather than actual residential demand.

It’s also dishonest for y’all to act like “apartments” automatically translates to sardine tin commie blocks.

Personally, I think it is depressing to be living among all those tall buildings. All concrete and glass. Almost non-existent greeneries.

I don't mind condos and town homes, but building wise, I would not live in anything over 6 stories. There are some really nice 3+ bdr units among those towers. I helped my wife with two open houses last year. Only 1 - 2 prospective buyers showed up. Even the brand new high rise on Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island still has available units. Which would have been unthinkable pre-covid.

[Elegiac]

Personally, I think it is depressing to be living among all those tall buildings. All concrete and glass. Almost non-existent greeneries.

What a classically American response. "The only possible options are those which currently exist in the United States."

Y'all are so deeply conditioned to accept mediocrity that you've become functionally incapable of imagination.