Is government the solution to fix housing? Speaking of solutions, what is "solutions journalism"? Lastly, my amaryllis bloomed.
Do we fix housing by getting the government even more involved than they already are?
I have never met the man but I bet that Mr. Armstrong and I would likely not entirely agree on everything. For instance, I think I would put the line of where the government should step in on the market further over than him; that is, I would invite the government into the market more than he would.
Still, his op ed below was intriguing and brought up some interesting points and something that you might find useful if you find yourself talking with someone you disagree with.
Take a look at the screenshot attached and note the parts underlined in blue. Let's take them in order.
--Should you find yourself discussing things with someone you disagree with, and they hold the opinion that Denver City Council's CdeBaca does here, I think that Mr. Armstrong's reply is an apt one. That is, I think it's worth investigating and thinking through the opposite of the contention that "the market is the cause of the problem and therefore can't fix it. Could it be the case that the reverse is true? Could it be (as does happen frequently) that the government is part of the problem?
--Second, this is a question we should all be asking and that you might consider mentioning to people that advocate for letting the government run things: "Does anyone think we’d be better off if government ran all the farms, grocery stores, houses, and so on?" Said another way, do you want the same people that run the DMV deciding for you with regard to health, what you can buy, how to best make sure that there's enough toilet paper on the shelves, etc.?
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2023/02/14/armstrong-lets-commodify-housing-in-colorado/
What is solutions journalism?
I saw the first link below recently while tootling around on the internet. It caught my eye and was something I thought worth sharing.
I know that Wikipedia is not always a tremendously reliable source, but in my reading and looking on the topic, I thought their definition of Solutions Journalism was a clear and decent one. I attached it as a screenshot (and linked to it below).
In thinking about this (and in reading the article about how TV is using solutions journalism), I think I can see the appeal. If in the past it's been right to criticize news (esp TV news) as focused on tragedy, it would feel a breathe of fresh air for viewer and producer alike to feel as though people presented not just problems but solutions.
Still ...
Still I think this particular format is rife with potential for abuse, intentional and not intentional. I'll flesh this out with a couple examples.
How many stories have I posted (and/or have you seen) where some well-meaning reporter was writing/talking about how, say, growing lettuce in a shipping container was the future? When reporters dip their toes into a field, speaking to a limited group of "experts" it can't help but provide a skewed view of the problem, current solutions, and feasibility of other options.
With Solutions Journalism, you still have the problem of choice among alternatives: who outlines the problem, who chooses what the solutions are, who chooses what evidence is credible, the list goes on.
This doesn't strike me as a bad idea, but I think that what the media present in this case needs to be carefully and thoughtfully packaged.
As before, I think bias will always be there and I'm okay with it as long as people are upfront about it. That is, I think "Solutions Journalism" stories ought to acknowledge upfront that what the viewer/reader is getting is a limited view of a problem--both it's description and any solutions proposed.
I don't like being told I'm getting steak only to find out I got hamburger. Intentional or no.
https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/tv-groups-turn-to-solutions-journalism-and-viewers-lean-in/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solutions_journalism
My amaryllis finally bloomed …
I posted a while back about a recalcitrant amaryllis that refused to bloom til I threatened to throw it away. The flower buds just recently opened and I thought a picture would be in order. These are pretty flowers.
The picture doesn't do the colors justice. I just wish I knew better what to do with them to get them to bloom more often. I mean, I could threaten it again, but with each threat that I don't follow through on it will feel as though its position is stronger! Anyways, I'll enjoy it for now.