this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2023
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[–] [email protected] 123 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Reminder that the both the Mormon & Catholic "Churches" could feed, house & clothe every single homeless person in the USA indefinitely & it would only cost them a fraction of their net worth.

They had rather sit on their wealth like the Dragon though, regardless of the punishments for that described in their "Bible".

That's how you know they don't really believe in their own bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Churches need to pay taxes. It's unacceptable that they're the only ones who are officially exempt.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago

They aren't the only ones, though. The rich find more than enough write-offs.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

How do you reckon we make that happen? Any hope, or are they as powerful as billionaires?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago

I'm far less worried about churches paying sales, property, and income taxes than people making tens of billions of dollars a year.

We'll get WAY MORE social benefit out of properly taxing the ultra-ultra rich than we will out of the hundreds of thousands of mini-churches who have volunteer receptionists twice a week or even the few hundred mega churches with jet-setting pastors.

Turn your ire on the bigotry and hypocrisy of a church that attempts to profess love and hate at the same time and out of the same mouth to your heart's content, but when it comes to money, we need to deal with the robber barons. They're the ones causing the economic problem.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

What? Churches are specifically exempt from ALL taxes in the US. I clouding income, property, and all others.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's unacceptable that they're the only ones who are officially exempt.

Kind of seems like the person you're replying to is well-aware of that, and when they said "Churches need to pay taxes," they didn't mean it as "churches are currently legally obligated to pay taxes" but rather "churches paying taxes is something that needs to happen."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Not quite. Churches are exempt from many taxes, but not all, as a part of the separation of church and state.

Churches do need to pay their share of FICA, Social Security, and other income-related taxes. Clergy are also required to pay income taxes, though they are permitted some tax-exempt benefits, most notably church-provided housing.

That being said, I'd completely agree with removing tax-exempt status from churches that breach the separation of church and state, beginning with those that outright tell their members who to vote for.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago

Libertarians are always certain religious charities will foot all of the bills though.

Like if humans were perfect and weren’t greedy assholes.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Pretty sure it’s not that simple. They have projects all over the planet, and administrators that need their cut. Also need church renovations so that people feel their church is fancier than their own homes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Reminder that the secular institution with the Democrats leading it can also fix homelessness with even less of a fraction of their net worth.

Atheism to the rescue again.

Oh. Wait.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's not about faith. It's about corporations. Religious, commercial or government, none of them are working for us.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

His comment was about faith though.

I keep having to read the dumb narrative that le atheism would fix everything here on Lemmy and everything is the fault of religion but the atheist institutions are doing just as little if not less than the religious ones.

[–] [email protected] 74 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

44% of single family homes were purchased by private equity in 2023. Some analysts expect institutional investors to control 40% of the SFH rental market by 2030.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

And when are the American people going to demand an end to this shit? They represented less than 3% of sfh ownership in 2012. How long until everyone must rent? How long until people are forced to sell due to taxes driving them out of ownership due to inflated pricing from these ghouls?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

While I'm not 100% about it, Prop 13 in California has some good effects.

People shouldn't be tax hiked out of their living quarters. I think most states should have something similar and limit it to only the property you reside in so that property taxes are predictable instead of the incalculable beast they are today in most areas.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Let us not forget apartments, which are invariably occupied by less wealthy folk on average, who definitely can't afford the cost.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 9 months ago

It's okay guys. The government is (checks notes) giving money to your land lords with no strings attached.

I'll be at the bar if anyone wants to join me.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 9 months ago

Something needs to be done. Housing is a nightmare.

[–] Immersive_Matthew 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Few seem to care…including those who will one day be there themselves.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Few seem to care…including those who will one day be there themselves.

What are those of us who care supposed to be doing?

Amidst deciding which bills get paid each paycheck, trying to find nutritional variety out of food banks (canned fish intake should ideally be less than 10 cans a month per person, for example, and even rinsing canned vegetables/beans isn't doing wonders for sodium intake compared to fresh), trying to decide which medical and dental issues we can afford to address and which just get to be endured, and watching debt go to collections because food, insurance, automobile fuel, home energy, rent, and everything related to cars has gone up, what are we supposed to be doing?

In what way can we unite as a people and fix this?

[–] Immersive_Matthew 3 points 9 months ago

I could not comment as I do not know you, but many people choose nice things like bigger cars, new phone, alcohol and such over quality food. Some however are in a place that they are trapped and have no choice and for those people I have no advice other than to really make some noise and vote accordingly if you are in a country you can.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Worker and renters unions are a good place to start. Talk to your neighbors and coworkers. Join the IWW if you'd like some help

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Rents soar as government continues heavy suppression of new housing construction.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I keep seeing this argument. I see a metric funckton of new construction and they are ALL 400k+ which is a lot for our smaller/mid city. Existing inventory is averaging the same.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yes some construction happens. It’s still profitable in some cases, especially when the target market is the richest segments of society.

But there could be so much more. They could build two houses on each of those plots of land, and maybe each house is only $250k but you’ve managed to get $500k of real estate out of the same plot of land which (as any good capitalist will tell you) is better than $400k of real estate.

But you can’t do that. Density restrictions. Zoning laws that are way too narrowly defined, ie bloated, and have long since surpassed the “Don’t boil horse carcasses next to a daycare” sort of scenario by which zoning laws are explained in our history books.

Instead of just protecting public health zoning’s now also protecting people’s views, protecting people’s lawns, protecting people’s resale value on their homes.

Like, oh your view of Mt Shasta got blocked by an apartment building? Gee that sucks but it also doesn’t suck that five hundred new apartments are on the market now, weakening the monopoly some local cartel has on pricing and slowing the rise of rent prices.

We have a sort of overton window in terms of how much construction is “a little” and how much is “a fuckton”. Living our lives in this kind of supply crackdown has calibrated our sense of how much construction is a fuckton.

Just imagine that construction you’re seeing … but twice as tall. Perfectly conceivable, even financially favorable to the people who would make it happen, but literally not allowed.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

This is an excellent and erudite comment. I'm curious what industry you work in. And did you make up “Don’t boil horse carcasses next to a daycare”? Because I'm fucking keeping it, funniest shit I've read all day. Keep it up mate

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

They just to apply themselves, get out there and hustle, bring value, and make others rich! /s

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

But don't forget it's all Biden's fault. Especially in the UK.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Both countries run by right wing partis. Coincidence?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (2 children)

But Biden fixed the economy it's better than everrr!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Homelessness is a very complex issue encompassing things like mental health and climate change. The president has no direct control over rent prices, they may be able to influence them to a degree, but that’s all. This is an integral part of late-stage capitalism. People in need are being left behind because America is filled with greed. One of the many things to help alleviate this would be the construction of subsidized dense housing in areas with high levels of amenities.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

The economy has little impact on price gouging and you better believe rent is being gouged to fuck.

They all collude too, example: https://m.slashdot.org/story/406219

Your post has “Biden did that” in relation to gas prices energy

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

But unemployment is at the lowest ever! We added 200.000 jobs. There was only a soft recession. Line goes up, and just in time for something important. What a coincidence. The economy is so great and we're back in the bull market!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

See, the real problem is that people don't know how good they have it.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 9 months ago

I'm sick of hearing about the have's and the have not's
Have some personal accountability
The biggest problem with the way that we've been doing things is
The more we let you have the less that I'll be keeping for me