Cover story, Feb. 27, "Building a Better SLC"
Great article! Much of this applies broadly to cities across the western U.S.
J.R. Dobbs
Via Twitter
This was a big reason I moved out of state. I moved to New England and now pay less for a mortgage on a two bedroom house than I would pay for rent on a one bedroom apartment in SLC.
Rachel Flichtbeil
Via Facebook
Grab a City Weekly and read this article
Shireen Ghorbani
Via Twitter
This is not a valid argument, as median rent should be matched to median income. Median rent is not minimum wage rent. When I made minimum wage, I got roommates. When I started earning more, I could afford to live alone.
Ken Chambers
Via Facebook
Yes, it's people who work three jobs! That's the problem!
Kristen Murphy
Via Facebook
While I appreciate the limited resources with which City Weekly must operate and publish an otherwise outstanding publication serving the people of Utah, I regret that such biased, agenda-driven disinformation is allowed to be presented without any legitimate countering facts and information.
Beginning with minimum wage earnings, the author's citation or calculation is several hundred dollars off (low). Actual minimum wage comes out to just around $1,200 a month for a full-time worker.
Next, the average monthly rent in Salt Lake City. Here's where the propaganda and disinformation is most shameful. The average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Salt Lake is well below $1,200 month, coming in closer to $700 a month. If you include 2nd, 3rd, and more bedrooms, that's fine, but you should include more people paying into the household as well (a spouse, significant other, roommate, etc), taking the household income up to more than $2,400 per month.
And while $700 or $800 a month is certainly high for someone earning only $1,200 a month, it's not a crisis-level emergency, and doesn't contribute to homelessness. If anything, it drives people onto food stamps, rent subsidies, Medicaid and additional means of government assistance.
All of the other costs (beyond food, shelter and medical) become discretionary, and it's not the responsibility of a landlord or of society to increase that expendable income. It's the responsibility of the individual. Want more money? Get a roommate. Get a better job. Get a second job. Lose the iPhone. Cut the cable.
If one supports rent control/regulations, that's fine. But please be honest enough to present information that is honest and real, not hysterical and conflated.
On a tangential note, it would be a credit to your reputation for quality journalism if you presented a follow-up article detailing the disastrous effects of rent control. In virtually every city/community where rent control (shorthand for varying degrees of control/regulation) has been implemented, rents actually soar while quality of housing suffers. This is the dirty little secret the advocates aren't sharing. Is it ignorance or intentional deceit?
Wallace Greenwell
Via CW comments
News, Feb. 27, "The G-word"
What's so hard about k-means clustering? The math checks out. Human input is minimized. The algorithms already exist and the code is open-sourced.
Michael Jenkins
Via Twitter
Online news post, Feb. 28, "Time's Up, Gayle!"
The face of hate.
Todd Reynolds
Via Facebook
Was she stoning a gay couple?
@TheJazzyUte
Via Twitter
One of the most unhappiest people you'll ever meet.
Nathan Rathbun
Via Facebook
Did she have to go out in public to refill her disdain for people who aren't exactly like her?
Grady Player
Via Facebook
Boo! Hiss!
Lizz Kopta
Via Facebook
Gayle Ruzicka is the Crypt Keeper?
Kevin Nay
Via Twitter
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