Business

Are Home-Builders the Right People?

Bi-Partisan Housing Deal Slights Struggling Homeowners

“On Capitol Hill, Senate and Republican leaders have unveiled a new plan to address the nation’s housing crisis. The $15 billion measure would mostly benefit the home-building industry while offering little to millions of homeowners facing foreclosure. Lawmakers rejected proposals including allowing bankruptcy judges to modify mortgage rates in individual cases. Struggling homeowners would mostly benefit from $100 million allocated to counseling services and increased leeway for local authorities to refinance mortgages through tax-exempt bonds. Home-builders would get the most assistance, with $6 billion in tax rebates. Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research said, “It’s a bipartisan effort not to help the right people.”

So let’s get this straight. In a market foreclosing on itself, enlarging the already wide real estate quagmire, the government is making a bi-partisan effort to help build more homes? That’s sounds about right. We can see the cheesy news report/ advertising now:

Losing your home? Your life’s work down the drain? Your Congress is doing everything we can, look, we’re building more homes? (Uh, sir, third row…Speach Pit here, who’s going to buy the homes if people can’t pay for the ones they have?) Session adjourned.