"What we really need here is commercial rent regulation so that the little guy still stays in business. Remember...greed is one of the seven deadly sins"
Having government (especially the inept New York City council) step in and mandate a commercial rent regulation would be the worst possible thing anyone could do. The end result would be that landlords would simply stop renting to businesses, since government would set rents so low that landlords wouldn't be able to make any money. Witness the shortage in housing in New York due to rent control laws.
Price controls didn't work in the old Soviet Union, they don't work in Cuba nor North Korea, and they won't work in New York City either. Even the North Koreans know this, as they have relaxed price controls recently and allowed limited free markets to operate. If you're in favor of commercial rent regulations, maybe a move to Cuba or North Korea might be in order. I've heard that North Korean winters are simply marvelous, and according to Michael Moore, Cuba is at the forefront of all the latest medical developments, not those evil capitalist companies such as Pfizer and Bristol Myers!
As for greed being one of the seven deadly sins, I'll allow Gordon Gecko the last word on that:
"The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that: Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right; greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms, greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge — has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words — will not only save Teldar Paper but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."