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Apparently the wealthy with vacation homes on Cape Cod didn't get your memo. Our local businesses don't have enough workers due to unattainable housing. Enjoy your long lines, reduced hours and hollow communities! At least there will be lots of pickleball courts!

> Our local businesses don't have enough workers due to unattainable housing.

due to not paying enough

There is no workforce. It's not a matter of paying more, it's a lack of workers aka families. The average age of someone living on Cape Cod has increased every year for decades. The cost of housing after COVID went from "unreasonable" to "insane".

Local businesses and towns are throwing money at the few young people still here in an attempt to recruit workers but there just isn't enough to handle the scale up for summer volume. The band-aid for years was J1 workers but it's no longer enough.

The wealthy don't think about Cape Cod for 1 second once they cross the canal, or leave the runway in Hyannis/MV/Nantucket. They seemingly don't realize that their "tax dollars" which they claim are a gift to the local region, aren't helping or solving any of these problems.

What we're seeing now is consolidation of businesses, and the construction of worker "dormitory" housing. That's the future for our region. Multi-million dollar trophy homes, and worker dormitories.

> Multi-million dollar trophy homes, and worker dormitories.

Because they are not paying them enough- hence the need for J1 workers

If a place has only millionaires, prices for many basic things will be very high compared to other places, like for plumbers: there will be less plumbers and those willing to go there will be able to raise prices, a lot. Same for groceries, cleanup, ...

> you need an electrician or a plumber. Preferably one who doesn't have to live five hours away.

FWIW the electricians and plumbers are the ones living right next door to the techies. They charge ridiculously high hourly rates and there aren't nearly enough of them, so they can keep raising their rates almost without limit. Try to find a decent electrician for less than $150/hr (this is SF Bay Area). A refrigerator repairman will charge you $300 just to walk in your house and diagnose an issue.

If California urban centers like SF and LA are any example - the “sustainable” limit is somewhere around two-three hours away.

That's only sustainable for now because car fuel is cheap. It's not guaranteed to stay that way.

In Europe it isn't, so that 2h number goes down very rapidly.

San Francisco solved it with homeless camps and effectively decriminalizing theft under $950.

My God. Really?!

And now robbing stores is becoming rampant as we can all testify by the loads of videos of "youngsters" entering stores and taking what they want without anyone doing anything.

Of course, all those people can live 50 miles away and commute in and out every day...

> Be a YIMBY. Embrace looser zoning regulations and more and denser housing where you live. And don't jack up the rent to market rates if you're already turning a profit.

Eh. Waiting for people to forgo short-term profit from the goodness of their hearts under capitalism is a losing battle. The system must be built to prevent such behaviours and outcomes, rather than relying on individual good-will.

I mean, by that logic, waiting for people to choose to vote in such a manner that changes the system (from the goodness of their hearts, no less) is a losing battle also. Remember, changing the system (whatever that means) involves the same democratic buy-in as loosening zoning regulations.

Ultimately, the only way to change to change things under a democratic process is to win hearts and minds, and in either approach, people will have to make hard decisions. Either it's forgoing short-term profit by loosening zoning regulations or forgoing even long term profit by enacting whatever large scale systemic change one envisions will solve the problem (strict price controls, rationing, expropriation, etc).

It's not really unsustainable - Switzerland and other wealthy microstates show us the long-term outcome, which is quite desirable. In fact, the "ordinary people" will eventually benefit the most, since their wages will grow to match the prevalent cost of living. Transition can of course be difficult.

How big is Switzerland population?

The same as Portugal's, very roughly. (Or the same as the greater Bay Area if you wish.) So the point is applicable.

Switzerland does not qualify as a microstate at all. You're looking at a population that would fill Los Angeles, twice over... The one thing that is sure is public transportation is night and day, and this helps a lot fight the mad-commute effect for non-millionaires.

Not twice over, Swiss population is 8-9 million. 10 million live in LA.

we are both right, wikipedia to the rescue Population (2020)[8] • Total 3,898,747 • Density 8,304.22/sq mi (3,206.29/km2) • Metro[9] 13,200,998 (2nd)