{"id":8522,"date":"2009-05-19T21:37:13","date_gmt":"2009-05-20T04:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=8522"},"modified":"2009-05-19T21:39:06","modified_gmt":"2009-05-20T04:39:06","slug":"no-more-free-lunch-understanding-the-national-association-of-realtors-all-the-way-down-to-your-bones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/8522\/no-more-free-lunch-understanding-the-national-association-of-realtors-all-the-way-down-to-your-bones\/","title":{"rendered":"No more free lunch! Understanding the National Association of Realtors — all the way down to your bones…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael DiMella<\/a> wrote the remarks quoted below in a comment<\/a>, but I’ve extracted them and my responses to him into a separate post.<\/p>\n

The meta issue is this: Is the NAR a criminal conspiracy against consumers, and, whether or not it is, is there nothing else good about it?<\/p>\n

Michael DiMella: > you seem to have a thorough unwillingness to learn what NAR actually is and does.<\/p>\n

That’s astoundingly false. I have written more about the NAR’s criminality than anyone, ever. You may not want to focus on that, but criminality is NAR’s sole reason for being. Everything else it might do is window dressing devised to fool the public — and gullible patsies within the NAR.<\/p>\n

> That doesn’t make you a bad guy, but I, for one, would appreciate a modicum of respect.<\/p>\n

Good grief. I will offer you and the NAR the oath of respect Fiorello LaGuardia paid to a similar criminal mob when he was inaugurated as Mayor of New York: “E finita la cuccagna!”<\/em> (“No more free lunch!”)<\/p>\n

> To [eliminate mortgage interest deductibility without comprehensively revising the tax code] would be careless and have a major negative impact on a majority of Americans.<\/p>\n

False. The deductibility of mortgage interest is a handout to the rich. I’m opposed to all taxation, but it is absurd to argue that the wealthiest Americans cannot afford to bear their own economic weight. In any case, as is discussed below, using tax policy to favor one group over another, thus artificially to churn the markets, is vicious and wrong no matter who is hurt or helped.<\/p>\n

The next argument would be that, in a condition of pressure-group warfare, to lay down arms is suicidal. That’s as may be, but, in order to make this argument, you must first argue that there can be circumstances in which you feel yourself justified in expropriating other people’s property — stealing, that is — for your own benefit. Are you an advocate of theft? Did I hear you say something about wanting respect?<\/p>\n

> I would say NAR’s support of the MID is well intentioned to protect consumers<\/p>\n

The sole<\/em> purpose of the mostly Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael DiMella wrote the remarks quoted below in a comment, but I’ve extracted them and my responses to him into a separate post. The meta issue is this: Is the NAR a criminal conspiracy against consumers, and, whether or not it is, is there nothing else good about it? Michael DiMella: > you seem to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,212,29,30],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-egoism-in-action","7":"category-flourishing","8":"category-group-therapy","9":"category-supplanting-the-nar","11":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8541,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/8541\/is-nar-criminal-or-clueless-what-difference-does-it-make\/","url_meta":{"origin":8522,"position":0},"title":"Is NAR Criminal or Clueless? What difference does it make?","author":"John Rowles","date":"May 22, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u00a0 read the give and take between Greg and Mike DiMella (full disclosure, Mike is a client) with interest, because I respect them both, and it is always interesting when smart people agree to disagree and do so with civility and eloquence and without resorting to the ad hominem. When\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Mother"","block_context":{"text":"Big Mother","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/big-mother\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14354,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/14354\/whats-the-best-thing-the-national-association-of-realtors-can-do-for-the-american-economy-it-could-drop-dead-but-it-wont-so-heres-how-you-can-kill-it-instead\/","url_meta":{"origin":8522,"position":1},"title":"What’s the best thing the National Association of Realtors can do for the American economy? It could drop dead — but it won’t — so here’s how you can kill it, instead.","author":"Greg Swann","date":"March 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Hey there, toothy-grinned, glad-handing Realtor: How's the world treating you? Business is not so good? Your house is worth less than half of what you paid for it? Your kid has three degrees but can't get a job? Are you looking for someone to blame for your troubles? Guess what?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Mother"","block_context":{"text":"Big Mother","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/big-mother\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8913,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/8913\/darwin-and-the-notorious-nar\/","url_meta":{"origin":8522,"position":2},"title":"Darwin and the Notorious NAR","author":"Thomas Hall","date":"June 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the most powerful outcomes of attending an REBarcamp isn't necessarily attending the many great discussions during the day, but the great conversations and discussions which take place over a beer after the meeting is over.\u00a0 I also believe that REBC - now after experiencing yesterday's REBCCHI - is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2102,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2102\/bruce-hahn-writes-another-letter-to-inman-news\/","url_meta":{"origin":8522,"position":3},"title":"Bruce Hahn Writes Another Letter To Inman News","author":"Russell Shaw","date":"October 24, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce Hahn writes another letter to Inman News. Of course it gets published, Bruce's letters always get published on Inman News. I've posted about Bruce before, in this post and in this one. It is a big secret who pays Bruce. He likes to advance the idea that it doesn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bruce Hahn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Bruce%20Hahn.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8358,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/8358\/nar-idx-fubar-rules\/","url_meta":{"origin":8522,"position":4},"title":"NAR + IDX = FUBAR Rules","author":"John Rowles","date":"May 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to Ryan's earlier post, I have spent the morning digging into the NAR's attempt to label the Google Search Engine a \"scraper\". Clearly, the intent is to stifle Realtor.com's competition. There is no other explanation for a rule that specifically targets SEO by dictating that we cannot put the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Real Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Real Estate","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/real-estate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14412,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/14412\/do-you-want-to-undo-the-damage-the-nar-has-done-to-the-american-economy-if-youre-not-a-criminal-if-youre-not-a-predator-stop-lending-your-moral-and-financial-power-to-people-who-are\/","url_meta":{"origin":8522,"position":5},"title":"Do you want to undo the damage the NAR has done to the American economy? If you’re not a criminal — if you’re not a predator — stop lending your moral and financial power to people who are.","author":"Greg Swann","date":"April 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a fun little exercise for your brain: Suppose I sneak up behind you, throw a burlap bag over your head, tie you up and then lock you in my basement. Would you regard that as a crime? I don't mean just a call-the-cops crime or a phone-your-lawyer crime. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Egoism in Action"","block_context":{"text":"Egoism in Action","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/egoism-in-action\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8522"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8523,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8522\/revisions\/8523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}