Not cheering on the villain, don't like em one bit, but..

I am a person who believes you solve problems by correctly identifying what those problems truly are.

In this case there are some ..that are real.  Scales makes a point and the video may make you feel a little bad about those mean ol money changers.

But .. They only show up after local governments have already choked off the oxygen. Manufactured home residents don’t own the land under their feet because zoning laws make sure they can’t. In Michigan, most localities have quietly outlawed new parks or single-wides on private lots unless you beg for an exception—and those usually come with fees, delays, or a fat NO. The result? A handful of legacy parks become monopoly zones, and suddenly private equity gets that look in its eye.

Of course Wall Street showed up—there’s no competition.
Michigan now has at least 131 PE-owned parks—about one in every seven manufactured homes—because zoning boards gift-wrapped the market. And when you outlaw competition, it doesn’t matter if your landlord is Blackstone or Grandma Edna—they’re the only game in town, and you’re the prize pig.

Then the rent goes up—shocker.
Yeah MLive found hikes as high as 60% after the PE buyouts. Not because hedge funds have special rent-raising powers, but because no one else is allowed to open a competing park across the road. The same local governments now clutching pearls about “greedy landlords” are the ones who made it illegal to build anything cheaper.

And don’t forget taxes.
Struggling counties look at mobile home parks like ATMs they forgot the PIN to. They crank up the millage and cry poor, knowing full well that landlords will just pass it down to residents. For the few tenants who do try to escape to titled land? Here comes the death-by-a-thousand-fees: transfer taxes, permits, impact fees, zoning delays, HOA pushback—you name it. The government picks your pocket first, then Wall Street gets what’s left.

This isn’t capitalism. It’s regulatory racketeering.
Michigan’s Zoning Enabling Act of 2006 (my full takedown is here: https://rightmi.com/the-case-against-zoning-enabling-in-michigan/) is what turned basic shelter into a legal minefield. Local officials have veto power over how every inch of land is used, creating a game only the well-lawyered and well-funded can afford to play.

You want to stop the vultures? Take away the dead cow.

Fix the rules:

• Scrap the zoning chokeholds that block low-cost housing.
• Kill the layers of taxation and bureaucratic shakedowns.
• Let working folks own dirt again, without paying for permission slips.

Capital flees when profit dries up. Make manufactured housing as easy as planting tomatoes, and Blackstone will pack up faster than a repo truck on rent day.

So yeah, blame private equity if it makes you feel better. But the real problem? ..It’s the guy with the clipboard at city hall who thinks he knows better than you where a family can live. Until we kick that guy out of the way, the vultures will keep circling—and the rest of us will keep renting the dirt we used to own.

Peace out.

You Betcha! (7)Nuh Uh.(0)