Technology

I think there's a bit of a defect in the argument about renting. Renting can be cheaper than buying all-in and more convenient if it's run without profit, or low profit. When the renteers are few and there's no established mechanism to prevent arbitrary increases in rent prices you do get into the situation where we are. Renting can become expensive and extortionate. But this is why I think people went for renting. It was cheaper and more convenient than buying. The thing is though, the lack of processes preventing renting to get expensive also exist in buying. When there's few for-profit suppliers, buying can become extortionate too. The free market has gaping holes when it comes to this and it relies on the government to plug them. But the profitable players in the market don't want those holes plugged so they take over the government with the profits. So it seems to me that there's no reliable solution found that doesn't involve collective action by a significant part of the citizens whether the dominant model is renting or buying. I'm fairly certain trade unions are an important part of a solution, since they reduce the profit collected by the decision-makers in corporations, leaving less for buying governments, and gaining the ability to buy governments on the majority's behalf. But I don't know if it's enough.