Housing Minister (Shas) Ariel Atias has reached an agreement that includes over 1 billion NIS in the state budget for public housing, primarily for young couples. The treasury’s willingness to accommodate the housing request resulted in Shas’ agreement to vote in favor of the budget next week in Knesset.
Atias explained to the media that the planned government cuts would have delivered a blow to the housing budget as well as the subsidies for rentals, and now that agreement has been reached Shas can support the modified budget.
Most of the funding, 750 million NIS will be allocated to launching new housing projects while 250 million NIS is allocated for existing public housing and subsidies. The funds will be used to purchase apartments to make them available as public housing for eligible young couples. The Housing Ministry reports 2,400 families have been classified as eligible for public housing and they are waiting for apartments to become available.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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Once Israelis get addicted to looking to the state for housing, they are “hooked” (which probably has happened). The government can then condition its largesse on political and social conditions (e.g. military service).
This is how the state more or less turns the people into a modern version of “serfs” (Von Hayek’s phrase). They get addicted to easy money from the state, and lose control over their lives. Like good serfs on the mannor (in the US we might say slaves on the plantation, but that has racial overtones), they learn to look to their master for sustenance rather than their own efforts.
Israel should consider a capitalistic solution that would make it possible for builders to meet consumers needs for affordable rental housing, replacing the current regime’s reliance on the state allocating resources (calling to mind the joke that if a government controlled the Sahara desert there would be shortage of sand).