Yes, a passive income stream means that I would be able to live off the investments that I worked my ass off for when I was young and healthy. How else does someone ever retire without some sort of passive income stream? Are you saying everyone should have to work until the day they die?
And yes, I’d have to pay people to maintain the properties I’m renting out, as the law in my state requires. Because I’ll be old and retired and may not be able to do it myself.
Having passive income and being able to retire is a big part of the American dream for me. I can’t count on Social Security and Medicare to even exist with the way things are going. How else would I retire if I don’t have investments that make money? Property is part of that, stocks that pay dividends are another part of that.
I guess if you’re so radical that you don’t think any investment should ever have a return to the investor, then your position makes sense.
Should our entire government and economy be geared towards profiting off investments at the expense of everything else? Definitely not.
Should people be able to retire on investments that they busted their asses for while they were young and healthy? Absolutely.
Should corporations be able to invest in residential homes and rent-seek? No, I believe this can be harmful and hurt individuals, but that doesn’t mean that we should try to prevent individuals from investing in real estate.