Last summer, the city of Kingston, New York established rent control in the city. On November 9, the rent -guidelines board played the trump card of altruism, voting 6 to 3 to impose a 15 percent reduction on rents for the 1,200 in the city units subject to rent control. The board also voted by the same margin to allow tenants to protest rent increases that occurred between January 2019 and August 2022. The board concluded that rents should not have increased by more that 16 percent. Presumably, any increase in rent beyond that level will be retroactively reduced.
One of the board members who voted in favor of reducing rents, said, “This reduction represents a paradigm shift in how we address the needs of the many over unregulated market conditions.” In other words, the needs of tenants supersede the needs, desires, and rights of landlords. Placing the interests of others before one’s own interests is precisely what altruism prescribes.
Self-sacrificial service to others can be and has been used to “justify” virtually any atrocity. Hitler used that creed to demand that Germans serve the State. Stalin, Mao, Castro, and every communist dictator has used it to demand service to the needs of workers. No matter the stated beneficiary, the essence remains the same: the individual has no right to live for his own interests and happiness. And those who refuse to sacrifice voluntarily may be forced to do so.
The rent reduction in Kingston is forcing landlords to accept a rent lower than they would voluntarily accept. Landlords must serve the needs of tenants, not only by providing housing, but also by charging rents that tenants demand. This is the end result when the trump card of altruism is played.
It is bad enough that the city will reduce current rents. However, this evil is taken to a different level by applying it retroactively. Landlords will likely be forced to refund money to renters or otherwise compensate them for rents that the city deems inappropriate. The fact that this could bankrupt many landlords isn’t a concern for those who play the trump card of altruism. All that matters is that the needs of others are being served.
If these rulings are allowed to stand, it will set a very dangerous precedent.