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Economics, Politics, and the Housing Market

July 7th 2008 03:15
Maybe I am optimistic, but I cannot believe that housing prices can go much lower. I have watched them drop for months now. Surely we’ve hit rock bottom.

In the neighborhood I moved from about two months ago, I keep checking and nothing is moving. I am hoping that it will turn around soon…maybe by the fall which is the second best season for real estate. A rebound then can still help a lot of people avoid foreclosure.

With this being an election year, this is absolutely critical also. Both Democrats and Republicans alike need to work together to bring the economy back. With a Democratic controlled Congress, it will look bad for Obama if we can’t get the economy jumpstarted when they are in control of the entire legislative branch of the government.


On the other hand, John McCain needs things turned around since we have a Republican president. Yet somehow, you just don’t see anyone working hard to make turn things around.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, those politicians in Washington better start thinking fast about how they plan to improve the economy and take credit for it. If we hit election day and neither one has done anything to “fix” the problem, they are going to have issues with voters. Charm can only get you so far before people start asking tough questions and look for real answers.
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Comment by S.L.

July 7th 2008 03:36
Neither party can take all the "credit" for the current housing problems, Jen. And neither one can "fix" it.The problem stems from greedy lenders convincing people to go with sub-prime loans for more than they could pay at prices they couldn't afford. When the sub-prime bubble started to rupture, those who understood and were able to escape, did so. Those who didn't understand or were trapped had nowhere to run to. So many people now have little equity, big payments and no prospects, that foreclosures and abandonments are rampant. It's very sad, but we can't repair the damage. Only the market itself can do that. I'm not willing to pay twice what a property is worth, and neither is anybody else. I don't want to sound like a hard case, but all those who fell for the sub-prime garbage should have known better. The bankers are paying for their greed as we speak... bankruptcies and closures are everywhere. I don't think the government should do a bail out for Countrywide et all. A little help for some of the foolish buyers might be in order, but they didn't have to sign the papers and every one of them knew what they could manage on their incomes. I saw a really nice place I wanted to buy (until I read the fine print!) then I turned it down. Many sub-standard homes were sold with sub-prime financing, leaving the buyers stuck with lemons and no way to make lemonade.

Whichever of the loser candidates wins, he'll probably want to bail out the mortgage companies and a few of the buyers. It will accomplish nothing. The buyers will keep their homes, but be no better off because the market will (quite naturally) adjust and their equity won't mean diddly. The institutions won't mend their ways for long because they'll know that Big Daddy Government will bail them out if they do it again.

What we really need is a candidate who will say "I'm sorry for your losses, but it isn't the federal government's job to rescue you." That would start the mess on a clean up mode and keep it from happening again.

Comment by Jen

July 7th 2008 12:26
S.L. thanks for your comment. I agree with you since I am not a fan of big government. Somehow though I would bet that the politicians are looking for something that they can do that will improve the economy so they can take credit. It's the same old game.

And while there is a mess that was created by banks, oil companies, and speculators...there are things that government can do that would help us. I am talking about things like eliminating the federal gas tax. That would put a lot of money in my pocket (no, I don't drive a gas guzzler but anything helps) or what if we quit spending so much federal money on ethanol production so that grain products could decrease in price. I don't want a bail out, but I do feel that if big government would step back on some of the ways they have been taking money from us...we might see some improvements.

Comment by S.L.

July 7th 2008 12:38
I think they should drop the gas tax, too, Jen. And getting rid of the silly schemes in favor of alternative fuels that actually work is a great idea! Keeping the Bush tax cuts would help, too.

Unfortunately, we're talking about Obama and McCain, so the rational, reasonable, common sense things won't happen. Oh they both want to look good to the voters and will trip over everything sensible in their unbridled haste to get attention.

Too many people have gotten "sweetheart deals" from lending companies for either of the candidates to be willing to rock the D.C. boat by refusing to bail them out.

We also have the "greenery" thast both candidates promise. They'll find a million new ways to cost the pants off us and no real ways to help anyone.


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