Economic Update: Insecure Housing is a Social Crime

[S12 E38] Insecure Housing is a Social Crime

In this week's show, Prof. Wolff talks about the large strikes in Seattle (teachers) and Minnesota (nurses), the significance of Sweden's big vote for ex-Nazi party, and how anti-Russia sanctions cause US electricity prices to rise at twice the inflation rate. In the second half, Wolff interviews Leilani Farha, global campaigner for housing as a human right and against the financialization of housing.

A special thank you to our devoted Patreon community whose contributions make this show possible each week.
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About our Guest: Leilani Farha is the Global Director of The Shift, an international movement to secure the right to housing and the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing (2014-2020). The Shift was launched in 2017 with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Cities and Local Government and works with multi-level stakeholders around the world including with several city governments in North America and Europe. Leilani’s work is animated by the principle that housing is a social good, not a commodity. She has helped develop global human rights standards on the right to housing, including through her topical reports on homelessness, the financialization of housing, informal settlements, rights-based housing strategies, and the first UN Guidelines for the implementation of the right to housing. She is the central character in the award-winning documentary PUSH regarding the financialization of housing, directed by the Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten. PUSH is screening around the world and to continue its momentum Leilani and Fredrik now co-host a podcast – PUSHBACK Talks - about finance, housing and human rights.

Links: 
Leilani’s Twitter: @leilanifarha
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“Marxism always was the critical shadow of capitalism. Their interactions changed them both. Now Marxism is once again stepping into the light as capitalism shakes from its own excesses and confronts decline.”

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SOURCES FOR SHOW SEGMENTS:

[gertrudewest]

I am scared every day of eviction. I have no place to go. My landlord is a bully. He seems to enjoy the fear in our eyes. Been renting for 48 years. Never experienced anything like this. Scarey times.

[louisesumrell]

Less than a quarter of the US military budget could end homelessness.(and we'd still be unassailable by other countries) but, of course, the corporate elite who own our politicians want to continue to dominate the rest of the world..."Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Powerful men are always bad men." -First Baron Acton

[RussCR]

Ms. Farha says, "I don't want to say that capitalism is completely inconsistent with the human right to housing." I do want to say that, given the kind of capitalism that is now firmly entrenched in the US. We have sent much of our production capability overseas and converted the industrial capitalism of yesterday into the financial capitalism of today. I really don't see that being reversed any time soon.

In terms of ROOT CAUSES of why governments are not stepping up and doing the right thing, I think there are two main factors:

1. It's not just greed. Let's be frank. By their actions, I would say most of the top "leaders" (in both public and private positions) display a distinct lack of empathy for others and have no guilt or regret for the harms they cause. By definition, then, they can be classified as psychopaths and sociopaths.

2. We're not just talking about simple state capture. We're talking about the destruction of representative democracy. Candidates for strategic offices are being vetted ahead of time by the established forces and only those who pass the "test" get the money and support they need to win election in today's world. Yes, we usually have a choice of two or more candidates, but the front runners have all been selected ahead of time for their conformance to the approved narrative. Someone once said, "I don't care who gets to vote, as long as I get to pick the candidates." And that's exactly what's happening.

In the end, I believe it's big money in politics that must be addressed as the most critical objective (not the ONLY objective, but the most critical one). In particular, the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court has been extremely damaging to our society. Given the current composition of SCOTUS, it's hard to see that being reversed any time soon either.

[jacqueline]

Thanks for interviewing Leilani! I respect her so much and love her work, her clarity, and her conviction. I'm a huge fan of hers and the work she does.

[treefrog]

If a government is unable or unwilling to do everything in its power to provide an environment where adequate food and shelter is achievable by everyone, WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT FOR? To protect and maintain the government itself?!!! Contemporary "America" has become just that - the government. The rest of us, all 330 Million of us are JUST HERE.

[tinadkuper]

The investors who own apartments and now homes charge outrageous prices for rent. Rents keep going up, up, up. Rents/housing needs to be at same level as blue collar cost of living. Housing is now investment not homes for families. My father worked as a greyhound bus driver. In the 1960's he bought a house for 13, 000. We lived in California, a mile from the beach. Now that same house is in the millions. The billionaires are pushing out the millionaires. I have no faith that things are going to change because greed is at an all time high. It's not going to change because there are 700 billionaires in this country, foreign investors are buying up real estate in America..it's all about the market... greed is not going to change the system. All of the American people will have to have a revolution. It will be violent because the billionaires who have a grip on this country will not let it go without a fight.

[katemcshane]

I remember, when Reagan was elected, a friend, who, at the time was much more politically aware than I was, said to me, "They want to turn the US into a third world country." She was right -- I never would have imagined the economic hardship I've experienced, despite all my education, intelligence and competence. My father, who graduated from the 8th grade and worked in factories and supermarkets, owned a home and supported a large family. I'm alone and I have been homeless, and my living situation is desperate. Every day I ask myself whether I'd rather be dead. (I love your videos -- thank you so much for everything you share.)

[SteveSmith-mwzk]

Thanks professor Wolff. So important to get this kind of information out

[nrrork]

I used less power this summer, a good 200kw/hr less each month compared to last year.

My bills were STILL higher this year than last year.

[helengarrett]

Hooray Leilana Farha! Housing, food, health care and education are all rights. Nobody can survive in this society without those things. A job is supposed to provide that minimal level of existence but in our society one full time job does not do that for millions and millions of low paid workers. So we work another part time job. There are only 24 hours in a day, and one weekend. The most one person can work is two full time jobs. But still, the greedy 1% isn't content. They squeeze us a little harder until more and more of us simply cannot afford one or another of the four necessities.

Homelessness and food insecurity are growth industries. We produce more of the homeless and hungry every single year. We already have shortchanged public education so we don't prepare our workforce for a way out of poverty. Huge numbers of college graduates enter the work force unable to crawl out from beneath crippling debt. Our workforce tries to survive on debt but not only is that a downward spiral but debt in becoming more expensive so we spiral downward faster. Seniors are required to fight for housing they can afford and there never is enough to go around. Our sick and aged spend their last years in tents or on bus benches until they finally die. Social Security never keeps up with the real cost of living and that's because of how the COLA is computed. Food inflation is not included in the computation. Wages are never equal to inflation either. Healthcare and medicine is the leading cost of bankruptcy in this country. One illness can ruin the security of a whole family.

So, what is the purpose of government? In the USA it is to make sure the privileged are not losing money and that the politicians keep their jobs. The rest of us lose ground every year.

The system does not work. Isn't it time to try a better way?

[bobersonRC]

A lot of cruel and criminal behavior is tolerated as long as people are making money.

[TracieSmithpomeranian]

I live in the states. My daughter and I share a one bedroom apartment. There's mold in the walls with mice. Roaches freeloading and occasional shootings. I pay $706 for this experience. It's still better than being homeless with a child. Done it. A dear friend and her family are homeless. Her husband has diabetes real bad and she has limited education.

[JunG]

Please refrain from using and therefore legitimizing 'insecure housing' in your reporting. The proper word is homelessness. Insecure housing bloody means NOTHING. It's a euphemism meant to take the horror out of the devastating human condition of homelessness. Insecure housing is pleasant talk for the rich in our society. It takes the gore out of something as filthy as literally sitting on your ass unsheltered, unprotected, cold and vulnerable on a sidewalk or in a park or campground. I beg of you, don't allow the media to use the term insecure housing to take the sting out of such a dehumanizing condition. People must understand how bad is the condition of being homeless.

[mudpiemudpie]

My town just raised the price of water big time. That's without making any improvements or even planned improvements in the system. I'm in Upstate NY and they are lying about shortages as the reason.

[joeows]

There is no place in the United States can you rent a studio apartment on a minimum wage salary

[treefrog]

I have come to the conclusion that the well-being of the masses is no longer of genuine concern to anyone with the actual power or will to improve it. All of our labor strikes and elections and social movements and political debates are merely self-satisfying histrionics. Humanity possesses the wealth and skills to make life better for everyone, everywhere. Instead, living standards in the US vary from being utterly desperate to obscenely privileged. Globally the situation is even worse. It doesn't have to be. But it is. And the fact that it IS paints a very dark picture of Humanity itself. All of our religions and mythologies have a very high opinion of the Human Species. We ARE capable of amazing accomplishments in every field of endeavor. Except social justice. Greed and power of the few has undermined the viability of most of us.

[monstermoviefan]

I hope you'll do an episode on the Liz Truss and her failed "MiniBudget" meltdown that happended in the UK cause there's so much juicy critical analysis to pick apart with that topic.

[paladinsorcerer]

Here in Chicago, there was a ghetto called Cabrini Green Apartment highrises. It was a bombed out war zone. Eventually it was bulldozed under, the people relocated to nicer duplex apartments. Before the demolishers were through, a friend of mine captured a photo of the recently gentrified Starbucks coffee house set against the backdrop of Cabrini Green a block away. The Carbini Green real estate was too expensive to go to public housing, so much of it was gentrified. I dont know what the city does for the homeless nowadays, but it doesnt seem like its made much progress. I dont think the voiceless end up having much of a say when investors move in.

[Joshua-lewb]

.. the problem with Government dealing with housing in an equitable way is the Capitalist class in part that for profit housing sector is part of ..that controls government.

[fraudexposed]

“You will own nothing and be happy.” - WEF, Davos, Switzerland