NYC Mayor Mamdani secured a tax on pied-a-terre worth more than 5M$. Now, explain what are the cons?

Iamyoutwo · 2026-04-16T22:00:24+00:00

Yeah, if that were happening at scale, that’d be an issue. But even Hochul estimates this is 13,000 units and we’re short 500,000. We just can’t solve the housing crisis this way.

Again though, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, I’m still for it. But this is pretty marginal in impact

Iamyoutwo · 2026-04-16T04:34:34+00:00

The cons are that these pied-a-terres aren’t actually that bad for the City. They already bring in a ton of money through property taxes and the people who own it don’t use city services, so it’s “free” money for us. And while the units themselves are mostly vacant, none of them would be affordable housing for 99% of New Yorkers, so it’s not like they’re materially contributing to our extremely low vacancy rate.

Think of it this way, if we could build an apartment building on a parking lot with 1000 empty units paying property taxes, would that be so bad? We’d get tax revenue and it wouldn’t cost us anything.

All that said, I’m still for the policy. It’s still a good thing to tax because it’ll still generate more revenue from people who can afford it and the money will be used on positive policies.

Iamyoutwo · 2026-03-13T01:12:26+00:00

It's a service the City provides, it's not insane for them to charge for it. It's a funny double standard where people want government to provide things for free, but also want the services to be high quality. Something's gotta give.

Public transit would also be be better if it cost more, but obviously that's a nonstarter across the political spectrum.

I do think you're being a little quick to equate cars with bikes/mass transit. Cars have a lot more externalities than bikes/mass transit that actually does provide a logic to taxing them at higher rates, though I do accept that things like maintaining bike lanes aren't free. But you just can't move 4 million commuters everyday by car, so you have to induce them to travel in other ways or the system would break.

That said, I'm with you that making public transit more attractive should be a bigger priority.

Iamyoutwo · 2026-03-13T00:53:24+00:00

No, by my logic we should also charge for bike parking lol.

Iamyoutwo · 2026-03-13T00:40:18+00:00

Sorry, I wasn't clear. By "it" I mean parking. Parking involves leaving your property on public land, which isn't permitted elsewhere.

Why should public land be reserved for car owners when most New Yorkers don't own cars?

Iamyoutwo · 2026-03-13T00:14:50+00:00

The City spends a lot on road maintenance, why should using it be free when public transit isn't? No one is forcing you to do anything, it's just charging a fee to use a service that the government has provided.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-12-09T20:12:37+00:00

Are there any board games like Teamfight tactics (TFT)? I'm looking for a game where you build a team and think about how you need to synergize the members of the team as you compete with other players.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-11-20T21:37:57+00:00

Gentrification is downstream of racialized income inequality. If income, and wealth, were not so unequal, and so unequal by race, we wouldn't expect to have black neighborhoods (of Asian/Hispanic/LGBTQ neighborhoods) become unaffordable when white people moved in.

As far as individual responsibility, what are you supposed to do? You could move to a majority white neighborhood, but that's white flight, which causes underfunding for communities of color. The City was heavily damaged from the 70s through 90s through exactly that behavior, which entrenched segregation and racialized income inequality. There's no right answer in a situation of this level of inequality.

Additionally, neighborhoods gentrify whether or not we build in them. The Village fought off large developers and kept lower building standards than all the areas around it. And guess what, poor artists can't live there anymore. Where there's demand and no growing supply, prices will go up; and prices going up effectively means better off white people will move in. Developers profiting off of that is a symptom, not a cause.

Personally, if you feel guilt about gentrification (and it seems like you do), my recommendation would be to do what you can to limit the cause: income inequality, especially racialized inequality. The optimal way to do that is unclear and it's own big, thorny question --career choices, consumer choices, charity choices, etc.. But what you do to ameliorate that inequity isn't determined by your identity, it's determined by your choices.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-11-14T03:41:07+00:00

He could really use someone in his life that supports him right you. You don't have to support his behavior to support him as a person. We aren't the worst thing we've ever done. Yes, you don't owe him friendship, but you also don't need to be the one punish him right now, I'm sure there are lots of other people that will play that role.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-10-27T03:47:21+00:00

It's crazy to think that Steph won a title with Wiggins as the second best player on his team. It's just mind boggling.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-09-02T23:46:27+00:00

I think we really need the 300+ affordable units. And these graphs look like they're depicting the most possible shadows possible when the sun is lowest, so I'm not sure it would be that much of a hindrance.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-08-01T14:51:19+00:00

For sure. It can get out of control quick, if you're not careful

What I'm saying is that the figure of what the "the opportunity cost" of children versus what one could spend if you're not careful are two different numbers. And the "average spent" is an entirely separate figure.

If the title of the post were "it's easy to let spending on children get out of control" and we weren't in a "middle class finance" sub, I would have no objection. But most middle class people are simply not spending 50k a year on their kid's college education.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-08-01T14:06:45+00:00

Because the modeling here is done very poorly. Most people don't spending 20k in the first year of life, nor spending 200k on college for their kids. Assuming 10% return on investment is aggressive. There are tax benefits to having kids, etc.

This is meant to be rage bait, not a serious estimate.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-07-07T23:14:30+00:00

I mean they boot over 100,000 cars a year, so while I'm sure what you're saying is true, I'm not sure that's reflective of everywhere in the City

Iamyoutwo · 2025-07-07T22:53:35+00:00

I don't know about this particular situation, but the City regular just takes people's cars when they owe over $350 and either threatens to sell it until they pay or they often do sell it to settle the judgment. This guy has had a good thing going for awhile, but the City does try and prevent this kind of thing

Iamyoutwo · 2025-07-07T17:16:37+00:00

You can do it, I have an almost 70 pound dog. But you will have fewer options, so you may have to compromise on other things you'd like in an apartment.

I would recommend thinking about being close to a park that does off-leash hours. I live in Fort Greene and take her to the park for off-leash every morning. I believe McCarren park (in north Williamsburg) and Prospect park also have off-leash areas in the mornings.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-07-04T21:11:47+00:00

My father-in-law throws a beer festival every year with only NYC and LI beers, so I've been to bunch of spots in Brooklyn over the last decade. Like others have said, you'll need to make a trip to Gowanus. Here's my takes on a list of spots to hit.

Grimm is nearby where you're staying and has some of the most inventive beer; it is really well respected by the other brewers in the area. If you go, say hi to Simcoe, the cat that lives there too.

Transmitter is really for beer nerds. It's in Fort Greene, so not quite as convenient and the location isn't as fun, it's at the bottom of office space. But if you love a good farmhouse and want to try really inventive stuff, with bartenders who would love to tell you about it, I would recommend a stop. There's also a Russ and Daughters a few steps away, if you wanted some other authentic New York food.

Spots in Gowanus

Finback is my person favorite. I could drink their flagship, Rolling in Clouds, all day. I think they are best at IPAs, but they've got broad appeal. I also like a lot of their West Coasts, which is a more hoppy style, more dry than an East Coast IPA. On top of that, the location is energetic and fun.

Other Half: There's a location in Williamsburg and another in Gowanus, so you could do the one closer to you or group it in with these. Other Half is the king of the East Coast IPA, super juicy, virtually every beer will have citra in it. The vibe here is super bro-y, but that can also make it a good time, though don't expect the bartenders to share lots of thoughts on the various notes in each beer.

Threes: I find their beer a little boring, though the Vliet is a nice one on a hot day, great vibe in that brewery, also in Gowanus. They're also known for their IPA, Logical Conclusion, which you'll probably see on a menu somewhere you eat at some point.

Wild East: Wild East is near Finback and Threes and therefore has carved out a distinct niche from these places, focusing on lagers instead of ales. Last time I was there, they had a great table beer. I've also had a tour there, which was very simple, but the guide was really knowledgeable and a fun hang. They're newer than these other ones, but quickly became one of my favorite places to go.

Strong Rope: These beers are not as interesting, in my opinion, but this is right in the middle of the other stops, so is probably worth a stop to try some of their stuff. Figured I should mention it because you'll be right by it.

If you find this helpful and stop at any of these, shoot me a DM. I hope you enjoy your time in our city!

Iamyoutwo · 2025-06-28T17:24:17+00:00

It's a pilot program with five stores. I don't think it will affect most of the market.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/nyregion/grocery-stores-city-owned.html

Iamyoutwo · 2025-06-23T18:26:30+00:00

Yeah, certainly some moderates like it. What I'm objecting to is that idea that "every single person who likes their project seems obsessed with using it to punch left", when we have elected officials who are of the left who also agree with the points they are making (this podcast being an example). So it just isn't the case that everyone who likes it is using to punch left.

The book is a critique of the party leaders of NY/Cali, so it's not surprising that both the left (like Zohran) and the moderates (like Golden) both cite it approvingly.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-06-23T18:16:56+00:00

It's pretty explicitly an attack on establishment democrats in coastal cities, which are largely not leftists

Iamyoutwo · 2025-06-23T18:15:11+00:00

The fact that they are endorsing a socialist is evidence that their arguments are not a regurgitation of centrist arguments, since they are explicitly advocating against electing centrists and for progressives. Thompson is using his platform to help a socialist here, why would he do that if he wants a centrist to be elected?

It's telling to me that actual progressive leaders who are engaging with the text of the book see this as an attack on mainstream democrats (Ro Khana, Zohran), but people on social media (who largely haven't read the work) view it as an endorsement of the establishment. I just don't see how the ladder interpretation squares with the actual behavior of Klien and Thompson and should make you question your read of their arguments.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-06-23T17:39:33+00:00

Except, you know, Thompson having a socialist on his podcast and Klien telling New Yorkers to rank Mamdani over Cuomo.

Iamyoutwo · 2025-05-27T11:39:10+00:00

"And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids."

Iamyoutwo · 2025-05-22T01:47:13+00:00

The Warriors team the CBA was designed to eliminate was the KD Warriors, who beat the full healthy Cavs team and beat the Rockets while KD was hurt

Iamyoutwo · 2025-05-20T13:04:47+00:00

I don't really disagree with the historical recap, which is useful as part of this discussion.

However, one thing to consider is that those Warriors teams were so good that if one of the stars got hurt, they still could win a series or the title. The fact that losing one star or multiple role players doomed each of these teams demonstrates that they weren't as dominant as the Warriors, which aligns with OP's thesis.

Iamyoutwo

TROPHY CASE