Letter: Greed is the root of many modern problems

Posted 11/4/21

To the editor:

Remember when - it was only a few years ago - that Boston’s parking lots near Fenway Park were gouging fans with ridiculously astronomical parking fees. Why would …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Letter: Greed is the root of many modern problems

Posted

To the editor:

Remember when - it was only a few years ago - that Boston’s parking lots near Fenway Park were gouging fans with ridiculously astronomical parking fees. Why would someone do that? They say, it’s because they can, but in reality it’s greed.

You can’t go to a Patriots’ game with your child, your spouse, or – Good Grief! -  the whole family unless you have deep pockets. There was a time when going to a game was a good time AND affordable. Today your average Joe or Jane would be hard pressed to come up with the funds to afford the game, a snack and a beverage, and if they did manage that injury then along comes insult – the parking fee.

People regularly complain about the ever-rising cost of groceries, gasoline, the bare necessities, and let’s not forget TAXES. In the past, news reports were that the price of produce made it difficult for low-income families to put good, healthy, food on the table. What did we do about it? We shook our heads in disgust.

What are we doing today? We are selling our houses for prices that exceed their value due to the purchasing wars going on between potential buyers in their effort to outbid all competition and, thereby, ultimately, benefiting the seller. And landlords are raising their rents exponentially resulting in hardship for renters who were at one time able to afford the rent, utilities, food, RX, gasoline and, perhaps, a night out, but are now reduced to omitting some of the barest necessities just to afford the rent alone – the rents are the price of a mortgage!  No wonder the homeless population is increasing.  Does the landlord care?  Clearly, not.  Does the guy selling his home care?  Of course not, he just got the sweetest deal of his lifetime.  As a matter of fact, there are some people who, prior to this, had never dreamed of selling their homes but now are putting them on the market and have them listed at a much higher price than the home is worth because they anticipate there would be a purchasing war over their stack of sticks and mortar, and that a potential buyer would offer an even higher sale price than the gluttonous listing price offered in the first place.  Why is this happening?  Greed.

How about automobiles?  New vehicles are difficult to attain at a reasonable price, but add the pandemic factor in and the prices soared.  This, I’ve been told, is due to lack of supply, and because of the lack of supply dealerships are charging far more for those four wheels than they ever would have dreamed getting prior to the shortage.  If the vehicle was 30,000 dollars last week, it should remain 30,000 dollars with a first-come-first-serve policy.  They call it supply and demand.  In actuality, it is Greed.

Because the dealerships are overpricing what inventory they have, used car dealers are getting in on the action and charging more for the dust heaps in their lots.  What about the poor person who, prior to when this stupidity began, would never have been able to afford a brand new car, but could afford a used car, but is now unable to afford even that.   Again, Greed is ever present.

So, the next time you have a gripe about the high cost of something, anything, the cost to exhale, you can pat yourselves on the back!  Well done!

Louise Dina

Tiverton

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.