In your post, you mention that the housing issue isn't as dire, but then focus on individual behaviors and societal trends. The reality is that housing costs are a major burden for a significant portion of the population. According to 2023 census data, 50% of American renters are considered "cost-burdened," meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing. It's worse in 2025. This is far more significant than price fluctuations in groceries like eggs (yet eggs price receive far more media and political attention). The 50% of Americans in this "cost-burden" situation aren't thinking about instant gratification; a recession, as usual, will hit them even harder. The housing crisis is multifaceted. The supply of housing is insufficient, largely due to restrictive zoning laws and over-regulation in certain areas, policies that have been pushed by both Democrats and Republicans. At the same time, wages have stagnated, leaving many workers unable to afford adequate housing. e.g. A minimum-wage worker cannot afford the rent on a typical apartment without working far beyond standard hours. Since you touched on it - this isn't about laziness or people not wanting to work hard. It's a fundamental issue where housing costs have risen too quickly compared to wages. Over the last decade, median home prices in the U.S. have more than doubled, and rent prices have seen similar increases in many areas. Housing and auto insurances are following a similar trend, makign life more expensive for everyone. These issues are complex and will take time to address, but a critical starting point is increasing housing supply. Reforming zoning laws, reducing regulations for builders and potentially having the federal government help build housing for a temporary period could help correct the current imbalance between supply and demand. Reforming zoning and reducing regulations is an issue that Republicans have traditionally supported, but to date, we’ve seen little to no effort from the current administration to prioritize this issue. Instead, we see a focus on trade wars, immigration, annexing Canada, .... None of these issues will solve the housing problem. In fact, the trade war and anti-immigration policies will likely drive up costs and worsen the situation. The administration campaigned on reducing costs but has since abandoned that promise, instead pursuing policies that will push costs higher. Now, returning to policies that "care about people," how is it that this administration, not focusing on the costs that burden 50%+ of Americans, truly cares about these individuals? It doesn’t. You are right that Democrats have also failed in this area, and they need to come up with new ideas - no one is buying their old ones anymore. However, I strongly doubt that when voters chose the "change" candidate on Nov 2024, they envisioned a scenario where the administration not only ignores costs but potentially worsens things, contributing to a recession that would hurt them, cutting services, and giving more tax breaks to the wealthy while driving up the debt.
We have an income issue and consumption issue. There is no land shortage. There is desirable location competition. There are plenty of houses on the market. There are plenty not being used. Not everybody can live in Austin, San Francisco and Seattle. There is a price premium. There are plenty of work from home jobs that can be done in the middle of Mississippi where housing cost are much lower. What you also fail to recognize, and we'll aware, the home sizes have exploded. Again, consumption. Also regulations are more strict, requiring safer and better built homes. What we have failed to do is automate the building process. The reason is due to regulation. Any idiot can go buy 10 acres and come up with an HOA document that can make automation difficult for any company who tries this. We need standard regulations across the board.
Harris wouldn't have been my choice to replace Biden, but to me I can't think of anyone worse than Trump that has ever been President. He's psychologically ill, unfit to serve in many ways, and too old. He's a pathological lying con man. I don't trust pathological lying cons with my finances, and certainly not with the country. To top it all off, he's acting even crazier than ever, and obsessed with power, taking bribes, inserting loyalists and billionaires, retaliation, and firing or censoring anyone who doesn't share his ideology. The dude wants to be a Dictator so bad.
Well I and many of the leftists I know held our noses and voted for Kamala annoying as it was to vote for Genocide Joe and his sidekick Kamala. Not really feeling it I resigned as a DP Precinct Chair a few months before the election, hoping someone with more enthusiasm would take over. Contented liberals never face up to the fact that much of what has happened is the Democratic Party's fault. The DP's turned to the wealthy campaign donors and the consultants, they turned away from unions. Their consultants and their leaders Pelosis, Schumer the Carter (good as Jimmy was as an ex-president Clinton/Obama/Biden/Harris) etc. have quite a bit of responsibility for the present day ascendancy of MAGA and the present situation. If no blaimg them, then who? It does know good to just blame little guy voters, call the deplorables. Most American, have been losing real purchasing power at about 1% per year since around 1980 and the Revolution which drastically lowered the tax rate on the wealthy. Abut 15% of Trump supporters voted for Obama once or twice. In their desperation they thought they were taking a chance on the Black guy with the strange name. He was just a black moderate Clintonite who timidly took the ultimately moderately conservative DP insider Biden. Hillary's immediate response to Trump saying "Make America Great Again!" was laughing and saying: "America already geat!"
No you didnt, they said give specifics, you didnt give any specific statistics, reports or any sources, you gave anecdotal evidence about yourself and expect me take that BS as evidence.
Lots of American Christians: "There is one important Commandment, "Thou shall not commit Abortion". There are another optional 10 Commandments. Christian Nationalists: The supreme law of the United States is the Bible according to or prophets like Jerry Fallwell and Jimmy Baker.
I will say than not all of these "movements" were founded for grift. But for many, once the door is opened for personal gain they follow through said door.. Same can go for the Republican causes. NRA comes to mind for me first. Grift has no political alignment.
