Finance Is Ruining America

Quite amazing how in America, beautiful sturdy buildings are laying around abandoned. Why not convert them to living spaces like is often done in Europe?
Buildings can present multiple problems. Bringing them up to code alone can require more than the effort is worth, before that the area/neighborhood is the primary hurdle. Unless the city councils change the zoning, disrupting the present inhabitants lives, it simply wont be possible. there are many examples of succsessful "gentrification' in the U.S. It takes govts, banks, anddevelopers working in concert and that takes years to accomplish.
 
Because 'doing the right thing' can be profitable but being profitable is not 'doing the right thing'!


who determines what is right?

he-he

i came up from the society where somebody determined what it is right and make others to do whats right.. .. this society collapsed

now i live in the society where what is right mostly determined by individual himself and for himself...

much better...

so lets leave up to everybody to determine what is right for himself and only for himself
 
I hear you, and ask myself the same question over here (because that happens quite a bit in Europe, too) ... the answer generally offered (e.g. by property developers, civil servants and relevant quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations) is that because of their antiquated structures etc., the refurbishment costs for such buildings to be brought into habitable condition do actually often far outweigh the equivalent accommodation newbuild costs. I'm "just saying" ...

That's the obvious answer and probably right. It also means people don't value "real" structures and would rather live in cardboard houses build to cost.
I've seen so many Soviet era factories converted to residential and commercial spaces with great success. Buildings in worse condition.

It's also likely as others pointed out that the local government is procrastinating and not dealing with the problem. If the structure is still solid then bringing it up to code shouldn't cost more than building from nothing.
 
In the UK we used to build tower block accommadation for the poor. They didn't like it. What with the residents throwing their garbage down the stairs and youngsters flying down the corridors on motor bikes etc. Maybe low rise, say 5 floors and 1 flat on each floor plus a piece of garden is better. Couldn't be much worse than Las Vegas storm drains etc.
 
Quite amazing how in America, beautiful sturdy buildings are laying around abandoned. Why not convert them to living spaces like is often done in Europe?
3 rules of real estate location, location and location.
 
3 rules of real estate location, location and location.
Locations can be improved. The East of London used to be squalid slums but now Islington, Canary Wharf etc. are now being invaded by upwardly mobile youngsters.
The nice Victorian terraced houses in West London are being bought up by Russian, Middle Eastern etc. rich as second homes.
 
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so lets leave up to everybody to determine what is right for himself and only for himself

Doing the right thing is balancing what's good for you against what is the greater good. But, as other people balanced your life you will do the opposite and balance your own, for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction.

Because to bring it back to neutral you have to 'write off' the past, and most cannot do that, it's just simple psychology. It's not wrong, only that no one was there to help you in your hour of need so why should you help anyone else, and you can't argue with that.

The only problem is that the people who need the help are the people who cannot or will not ask for it, they are caught in a double-bind. Doing the right thing is filtering these people from the rest, those who have made it out have the skills to help other people help themselves, very few do and so society regresses.

Finance is used to hide the truth and the past, it's the ultimate smoke screen and why it's so revered by all. The reason finance is running wild, everyone has a lot more to hide these days! How do you become wealthy and also do the right thing, have nothing to hide from yourself or from other people but at the same time keep it to yourself helping others at arms length with your knowledge.
 
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Buildings can present multiple problems. Bringing them up to code alone can require more than the effort is worth, before that the area/neighborhood is the primary hurdle. Unless the city councils change the zoning, disrupting the present inhabitants lives, it simply wont be possible. there are many examples of succsessful "gentrification' in the U.S. It takes govts, banks, anddevelopers working in concert and that takes years to accomplish.

Not to mention environmental issues. A lot of old loft like manufacturing buildings have poisons in the ground when they used to just dump chemicals on the floor back in the day. I bet Bridgeport has that problem. A lot of old manufacturing cities in the northeast have that problem.
 
In Greenwich, Darien, and New Canaan, Connecticut, bankers are earning astonishing amounts. Does that have anything to do with the poverty in Bridgeport, just a few exits away?

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/fairfield-county/501215/

I think finance has created an enormous brain drain for other areas of our economy.

I also think finance has created a short termism mentality that has prevented long term investment - that's where the Chinese have been very smart.
 
Doing the right thing is balancing what's good for you against what is the greater good.

greater good is the most dangerous thing in the world

the worst crimes in humanities, genocides, all were done for greater good

why do not we substitute good (the idea) with goodness, or better kindness (movement of the heart) on personal level

the major difference - kindness always on personal level , greater good requires mass involvement, and punishments of those who refuse...

one want to be kind - he can take all his money and invest in remodeling those abandoned buildings... oh no, one will not do that ... he-he ... there are limits of kindness

instead he will promote the greater good , and under the flag of greater good will make others to pay for his ideas of good
 
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