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Comment by blub | Hacker News Reader

Because they lived there half if not all their lives and want to continue to live there. It's as easy as that and it's a legitimate reason.

In the end, the Senate of Berlin is looking out at least in theory for the people of Berlin, not nomad developers or other people looking to move there.

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being enabled to continue doing something (at the cost of others!) just because you want to keep doing it is not a particularly legitimate reason

also, if people move to Berlin, they also become the people of Berlin.

The Berlin government considers it a legitimate reason, and since they get to make the rules that's all that matters in this case. If the people of Berlin would disagree, it's up to them to elect a new government with different views on the topic.

"I want to move to Berlin", on the other hand, is not a particularly legitimate reason to kick out a current resident for a newcomer.

> being enabled to continue doing something (at the cost of others!) just because you want to keep doing it is not a particularly legitimate reason

We are not talking about getting tickets to an NBA playoff game, we are talking about housing. If someone has been living in a city for their entire life, it's not reasonable to expect that due to "market forces" they should have to pick up their entire life and move to an unfamiliar place because they can't continue to compete in the market into their golden years.

Every other aspect of living is also subject to inflation. The berlin government is a hero for the poor, this is all it is. The Mietendeckel is not a good thing for a young person or a family but rather for old people and those who have been living in the city for a long time. It creates a class of haves.

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