Here’s the latest in telephone poll poster politics. This narrative about growth and development is held by a great many people in Seattle. It’s a fantastical story about how people who get good jobs are to blame for all of Seattle’s troubles. See, a person gets job, a greedy landlord knows that, raises rents when that person buys housing, and prices go up for everyone.

Simple logic would tell you this isn’t true. But economics is even clearer. When we don’t keep up with demand for housing, and there are people looking for housing, people who earn more will win a bidding war for scarce housing. Clamping down on housing supply in the face of rising demand is a recipe for poor people suffering.

But for some, growth is just a big bad wolf and we’re Little Red Riding Hood. Fairy tales make easier reading than economic text books.