谁曾想到上帝竟命令政府兴建补贴住房？纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔上周在布鲁克林一个低收入住房项目的剪彩仪式上，与市长佐赫兰·马姆达尼一同如此宣称。请看这则寓言，便知为何纽约住房成本高企。【音频】特朗普、习近平和普京峰会？
Who knew that God commanded government to build subsidized housing? So New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared at a ribbon-cutting event last week with Mayor Zohran Mamdani for a low-income housing project in Brooklyn. Behold the parable of why housing costs so much in New York. [audio] A Trump, Xi and Putin Summit?
霍楚尔在一支当地合唱团的开场表演后说道：“这确实是耶和华所定的日子。尤其是听了合唱团那如天籁般的歌声后，我闭上眼睛，感觉仿佛已身在天堂。但上帝啊，我还没准备好。让我留在这里吧。我还有更多工作要做。”如果这些工作涉及增税以回馈她的公共部门工会盟友，并补贴所谓的“可负担住房”，愿上苍保佑纽约人。霍楚尔称，这项耗资2.7亿美元的布鲁克林项目将提供“385套永久可负担住房”，意即租金将受限。算笔账，每套单元成本约70万美元。这怎么算得上可负担？
“This is indeed the day the Lord has made,” Ms. Hochul said after an opening act from a local choir. “Because especially after hearing the angelic voices of the choir, I closed my eyes and felt like I was in heaven already. But God, I’m not quite ready. So let me stay here. I’ve got more work to do.”Heaven help New Yorkers if that work involves raising taxes to reward her public union friends and subsidize so-called affordable housing. Ms. Hochul said the $270 million Brooklyn project will deliver “385 permanently affordable homes,” meaning rents will be restricted. Do the math, and that’s roughly $700,000 per unit. How is that affordable?
州长的新闻稿宣称投入1.9亿美元州政府资金。市政府也出了份子。联邦参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默也来邀功，夸口说他“致力于保护和扩大”联邦低收入住房税收抵免，该政策补贴开发商。
The Governor’s press release touts $190 million in state funding. The city also chipped in. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also took credit, crowing that he “worked to protect and expand” the federal low-income housing tax credit, which subsidizes developers.
该项目耗时近十年才竣工。马姆达尼办公室称，市政府和开发商“花了五年时间与居民、社区组织和市领导合作”。言下之意是试图购买当地支持。开发商为获市政府住房项目批准，也必须照办，这在现行工资强制规定之外进一步推高了成本。
The project has taken nearly a decade to complete. Mr. Mamdani’s office says the city and the developer “spent five years working with residents, community organizations and City leaders.”He means trying to buy local support. Developers must do likewise to get city housing projects approved, which increases costs, on top of prevailing-wage mandates.
接着再加上绿色建筑规则。据该市介绍，布鲁克林项目“包含全电供暖和制冷、太阳能电池板、种植耐旱植被的绿色屋顶、电动汽车充电站、低流量装置、LED照明和ENERGY STAR家电”。提升住房供应的一种更便宜的方式，是废除该州2019年的租金稳定法案，该法案导致房东在维护和出租受租金稳定管制的公寓时亏损。这已导致约5.7万套公寓空置。可惜，霍楚尔不愿与马姆达尼和进步派正面交锋。“奥尔巴尼并不与纽约市对抗，”霍楚尔说。纳税人和选民已被告知。
Then add green building rules. According to the city, the Brooklyn project “incorporates all-electric heating and cooling, solar panels, green roofs with drought-resistant vegetation, electric-vehicle charging stations, low-flow fixtures, LED lighting and ENERGY STAR appliances.”A less expensive way to boost housing would be to roll back the state’s 2019 rent-stabilization law, which has caused landlords to lose money maintaining and leasing rent-stabilized apartments. This has resulted in some 57,000 vacant flats. Alas, Ms. Hochul doesn’t want to take on Mr. Mamdani and progressives. “Albany is not fighting with New York City,” Ms. Hochul said. Taxpayers and voters are on notice.
[video] WSJ Opinion: The Left Comes for Jessica Tisch
[video] WSJ Opinion: The Left Comes for Jessica Tisch