Is that a straw man? He said, "I keep telling him that but he insists that the interests of the ultra wealthy trump everyone elses'." How does that sound like or remotely suggest he is under the impression that when people are able to make money doing something it automatically makes that thing bad. He was talking about serving the interests of the rich not making money is bad.
No, it is he who is attacking a straw man. Fskimo has clearly stated that he opposes these zoning laws because it leads to more homelessness. IronWing has said repeatedly that loosening or removing these zoning laws helps the wealthy and THAT is why Fskimo supports this policy. Clearly the people that get affordable homes are part of "everyone else."
My accusation is not a straw man. If you disagree, please start by telling me the difference between making money and serving the interests of the rich. After all, the interests of the rich colloquially means helping them make more money.
I have been saying this for a long time, that there are two major categories of corruption. Corruption where you make money in exchange for hurting most people and corruption where you position yourself to make money off policies that generally help most people.
The biggest problem with bothsiders is that they think both these forms of corruption are equally harmful. That is why we find ourselves where we are today, with a government that gives us almost nothing in return for our taxes compared to every other major nation.
Now, I know IronWing is far from a bothsider, but on this issue, you and he are making the same mistake IMO. Yes, developers will make more money, but people also get better and cheaper housing, so people making money isn't as bad as doing nothing. This is why I said what I said to him. He is making the argument that helping people isn't worth it if rich people make money.
Now, you are both also making the argument that it hurts people like you. So fucking what? Sorry to be harsh, but you don't seem to see you are making the exact same argument as people who don't want higher taxes for things like healthcare and tuition and and and...
On top of that, you vastly overstate the harm to people like you. How about you run the math on your situation and state clearly (and honestly!) what a worst case scenario would be for you specifically. How much tax do you pay now? How much tax would you have to pay if you didn't have laws preventing you from paying your fair share? What is the maximum height and density your area would support assuming no zoning restrictions? How long would it take for everyone to develop up to the point that you could no longer tolerate living in your home? Until you answer these questions fairly accurately, your arguments are just fluff. They are the very definition of fuck you got mine.
I'd be willing to bet if all zoning laws in your area went away your area wouldn't substantially change until long after you and I are dead. I'd also be willing to bet if your tax laws were changed your fair share would not be as crushing as you claim, and probably just be an inconvenience. Feel free to post up the numbers proving me wrong though.