Comments on: The House that Herbert Built http://www.utahsarch.com/2009/07/the-house-the-herbert-built/ Analysis, Rhetoric, Colloquy, and Heuristics on Utah Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:46:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cameron http://www.utahsarch.com/2009/07/the-house-the-herbert-built/comment-page-1/#comment-273 Cameron Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:58:23 +0000 http://www.utahsarch.com/?p=563#comment-273 I've seen the Home Run Grant at work in my neighborhood. There have been several new homes built nearby using the grant. Which certainly helped the home builders and contractors and city tax revenues. However, there are a significant number of existing homes sitting vacant and unsold. Their just is no way they can compete when the builder across the street has a $14k price advantage courtesy of the government. I’ve seen the Home Run Grant at work in my neighborhood. There have been several new homes built nearby using the grant. Which certainly helped the home builders and contractors and city tax revenues. However, there are a significant number of existing homes sitting vacant and unsold. Their just is no way they can compete when the builder across the street has a $14k price advantage courtesy of the government.

]]> By: Frank Staheli http://www.utahsarch.com/2009/07/the-house-the-herbert-built/comment-page-1/#comment-271 Frank Staheli Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:45:20 +0000 http://www.utahsarch.com/?p=563#comment-271 I am surprised and disappointed in Herbert. It's interesting how easy it is for just about anybody to justify helping someone out at the expense of everyone else, especially when it helps one's friends. But just because it's easy doesn't make it right. I hold out hope for Herbert's repentance and an apology. Henry Hazlitt wrote one of the seminal books on economics entitled "Economics in One Lesson", whose one lesson is this: <blockquote>The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.</blockquote> If Gary Herbert really took the time to look at the longer effects of his policy, I'd expect he'd change his mind. I am surprised and disappointed in Herbert. It’s interesting how easy it is for just about anybody to justify helping someone out at the expense of everyone else, especially when it helps one’s friends. But just because it’s easy doesn’t make it right. I hold out hope for Herbert’s repentance and an apology.

Henry Hazlitt wrote one of the seminal books on economics entitled “Economics in One Lesson”, whose one lesson is this:

The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.

If Gary Herbert really took the time to look at the longer effects of his policy, I’d expect he’d change his mind.

]]> By: Scott Hinrichs http://www.utahsarch.com/2009/07/the-house-the-herbert-built/comment-page-1/#comment-265 Scott Hinrichs Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:42:25 +0000 http://www.utahsarch.com/?p=563#comment-265 Thanks for reporting this. We have a lot of realtors in the legislature. That is part of the reason that people like you and me are blocked from getting accurate information about the prices at which homes in any area have been sold. The realty folks say this is a privacy issue, but it serves to make it difficult for the ordinary home seller or home buyer to judge what the going market rate is without using a professional realtor that has access to this information. Lack of pricing information and control of pricing information makes for inefficient markets and improperly empowers the politically favored over the rest of us. Thanks for reporting this. We have a lot of realtors in the legislature. That is part of the reason that people like you and me are blocked from getting accurate information about the prices at which homes in any area have been sold. The realty folks say this is a privacy issue, but it serves to make it difficult for the ordinary home seller or home buyer to judge what the going market rate is without using a professional realtor that has access to this information. Lack of pricing information and control of pricing information makes for inefficient markets and improperly empowers the politically favored over the rest of us.

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