Record rents reflect huge inequity: Turning a deaf ear to alarm bells

The way a government uses its authority is always compromised by circumstance or ideology. The use of democratically-mandated power is an unforgiving juggling act. Good governments try to balance opposing needs.

Good governments try to protect the vulnerable, sometimes constraining one sector while encouraging another in a neverendinghire-wire act. Good governments stand between citizens and the excess of powerful forces, especially that over-indulged catchall, the market.