LETTER: It’s always easy to help the low income with other people’s money

In response to Maureen Robinson’s Jan. 20 letter advocating rent control:

If any buyer of an apartment building has “to have 20 percent of the units rent-controlled to protect the low income,” what else can we do to protect them from high prices? How about we require all grocery stores to allocate 20 percent of groceries to be price-controlled to protect the low income? How about we require all car dealers to allocate 20 percent of their inventory to be price-controlled to protect the low income? This way we take care of the housing, food and transportation of the low income.

But how would this work? Who determines the qualification and income level? Are we punishing apartment investors to accept less than the full market value of rent for 20 percent of the units and why? Why stop at 20 percent? Why not 50 percent or 100 percent?

It is very easy to be generous with other people’s money.