1. If I nationalize GM, I don't have to nationalize Chrysler. If I nationalize both of them I don't have to merge them into both companies. Or maybe I can, and they compete with other modes of transportation like mass transit for your transportation dollar.
Ok well i guess you're a communist now, good luck with that.
Who competes head-on with CostCo ? They are roughly unique in their field.
Every single other place that sells food, clothing, books, toys, electronics, and car batteries.
3. Now you're making the case against laissez-faire capitalism. Keep going !
Good because i'm not for laissez-faire capitalism. I've argued if automation makes businesses far more productive then tax the rich & their companies and redistribute the money.
4. You're making the mistake of looking at a more recent phenomenon and attributing it to the system we have had post-WWII. I would say we don't know exactly what is happening with the housing situation.
Rising housing costs = foreign investment, cheap mortgage credit post-2008 recession, continued increase in two-income families, domestic housing speculation (every other person has a damn investment property they're renting out), population growth + large-scale immigration where the vast majority are moving to large urban cities etc. In short, mishandled or a lack of government regulation.
That doesn't mean we need to nationalize the housing industry & banks. It means we need better government regulation on the industry that prioritizes regular people over maximizing profits of developers, banks, investors etc.