Ye scallywags be swipin' booty and makin' us all walk the plank! A pox on ye landlubbers! Arrr!
2024-05-03
Arrr, me hearties! Methinks cities be overrun with scallywags squatting in the streets like landlubbers! But them scurvy media dogs be callin' it a "right-wing myth," aye, like findin' treasure in a bottle o' rum! Avast ye, the land be full o' squatters! Aaarrrrr!
In the language of a 17th-century pirate, mateys be hearin' tales of cities across America facin' a surge in squatting – when scallywags illegally enter and occupy a property they have no right to inhabit. But many a scurvy dog in the corporate media, like the Washington Post, WNYC, and Dave Weigel, be claimin' that this trend be as rare as findin' buried treasure. They be dismissin' recent news coverage of squatting as a "right-wing talking point" or a crusade against a problem that barely exists. But as usual, the media be off the mark, politicizin' the issue and ignorin' the rise of squatting in large cities due to bad law and shortsighted housing policy.In Atlanta, an estimated 1,200 homes be subject to squatting, and in Philadelphia, professional squatters be demandin' money to move out. Meanwhile, New Yorkers be denyin' the squatter problem despite real-life stories of squatters causin' chaos. The reality be that squatting be a real problem, worsened by the lack of affordable housing. The long-term solution be to increase housing supply by cuttin' regulations, lowerin' fees, and makin' zoning less restrictive.Short-term fixes include rewriting local ordinances to differentiate between illegal squatters and lawful tenants. Protectin' property rights be crucial to a stable society, and denyin' the existence of squatting be denyin' reality. It be high time for real solutions to combat this problem and protect the rights of property owners.