zlacker

If you want to focus on the housing crisis aspect and not the policies that enable addiction, then the answer is still yes.

Capped property tax increases is a moronic empathy law based on “protecting little old ladies on fixed incomes”. It has resulted in an incentive structure that means all home owners are incentivized to block all new housing and keep the value of their homes sky rocketing.

The second level of empathy laws causing the housing issue is all if the ones that empower NIMBYs to stop housing developments.

“Preventing gentrification”, “stopping the character of the neighborhood from changing”, “delays for a 1 year impact study” are all empathy motivated laws that caused the housing crisis in Cali.

>>kortil+(OP)
You are right. Empathy in the literal sense of only being able to relate with others that have the same experiences and interests. I appreciate that clarity.

>>james4+Zb
Not quite, anti gentrification empathy is about relating to poor people. Same with the property tax cap.

It’s empathy for people with problems you don’t fully understand the cause of that turns into ham fisted destructive regulation.