The Housing Crash: An Accident? Not Hardly:
Good Morning
The post is a little long today, but I think you will agree, it’s worth the read. After all, if affects you.
U.S. News ─ Housing continues to take a pounding and economists continue to find work making up new reasons why. However, having predicted the downfall of housing and reporting the reasons for the sudden drop some two years before the present economists became interested, we need to move on to the next phase of the great charade.
A short re-cap may be in line for some of my new readers. In summer of 2003, the coroner was summoned to check the pulse of the
Responding to such treatment
Housing caught fire and home construction grew on the bodacious profits of home construction for as long as home construction was profitable, which wasn’t long. Thus, the moniker “unsustainable,” a term banned from FED meetings.
The new scam…er, direction, did work long enough for Washington to report a complete economic recovery bolstered by timely and resonsible FED actions that had successfully mired Middle America hopelessly in debt. Together with the brisk war economy, things were definitely looking up for
Any economist worth their salt could see the wreck coming, and boy it was a doozy. The insurance carrier for this contrived carnage was, who else,
Alan “Cash” Greenspan and “Bronco Ben” Bernanke predicted a soft landing for housing. They also assured us that the housing sector was not large enough to bring down the economy. So much for requiring our FED Chief to have a handle on economics 101. But, the massive housing failure wasn’t their fault, the banks “done it,”
Yes folks, those same people who protect us from terrorists, who had no idea that there were 12 Million illegals living in the U.S., who were certain of weapons of mass destruction, and who had little knowledge that Social Security was in trouble prior to the 2008 election campaign; also had no knowledge of the housing scam that was artificially propping up all of America. This is good time to add that I have a lovely beach front condo for sale in
First the dot-com scam, and now a residential housing revival; even the quality of the swindle is going downhill. Geez!
Is the housing collapse and credit crunch over? I wish it were; Americans are broke. We live eat and breathe credit. The
The bad news is that the real estate crash is just getting warmed up. All you have seen on the big screen so far are the “Previews of Coming Attractions.”
These same economists and the FED who promised a soft landing, are just now figuring out that there is a connection between housing starts, employment, and business at Lowe’s and Home Depot. Housing will continue to crater and commercial real estate is right behind the next domino to tumble.
This house of cards that we live in was artificially revived by real estate, primarily residential real estate, which after completion becomes a negative factor to a sustainable economic basis. Its shelter guys, expensive residential shelter that robs the owner and the remainder of the economy by reducing previously held savings and wiping out discretionary income; for thirty long years of payments!
Unless what? Unless inflation comes to the rescue; right? It won’t happen this time. If you think the possibility exists, take a look at the value of our existing currency.
How do we create inflation? Lower interest rates, increase liquidity (print more money), and create a dollar that isn’t worth spit. But, someone has to buy the phony paper backing the dollar, and for interest to remain low, the return on the repayment paper has to remain low.
Our foreign creditors aren’t going for it this time around. Remember, this isn’t business as usual. Don’t get hung up on, “It has always worked out in the past.” We were formerly the creditor nation, now we’re the debtor. We’re sittin’ on the outside of the banker’s desk this time around. The rules have changed.
To make matters worse, once the whole foreseeable housing mess totally manifests itself in this already strained economic mirage, the massive employment that building created, will tumble. As will the supporting infrastructure including commercial retail. There is just no other way, not with our current system.
“What about building more houses?” There presently exists the largest inventory of unsold homes on the market, in history. Loan standards have risen, which eliminates thousands of broke Americans from applying. Manufacturing jobs are being lost to foreign countries daily and there are physical limits to the number of people who can afford a new home. This is another eye opener to the “Build it and they will come” crowd. We cannot expand our way out of this mess.
“So now what?” My opinion? We are about to enter the period where the financial pain becomes so intense, as to trigger the absolute worst scenario; we will be forced to face reality. Not a pretty place to visit I might add. Legions of our present and past leaders have brought us to an economic impasse that has no pleasant way out.
The next time someone suggests that the ideas of Congressman Ron Paul are radical; compare them with the direction of our recent past and present leaders. I’m talking both sides of the aisle here. Pull together, drop your senseless party line arguments, we can fight about those once we save
We’ve drifted a long way off the path; now it’s time to go home.
Drastic thoughts? Not really, just plain old math and common sense. I’ll leave you with this; penetrating so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits nevertheless, calmly licking its chops.”─ H.L. Menchen (1880 - 1956)
Wake up


Thanks for the “dead on” summary of where our economy currently teeters and precisely how we got in this mess in the first place. In hindsight it looks obvious! Two years ago it WAS obvious to you. It’s hard to fathom that it was not also obvious to our elected officials and their “wise” economic advisers. Conclusion - yes, it was no accident. Why do we Americans continue to put up with this??
I’m encouraging every one I know to read your book, Mike. Knowledge is power.
Heidi,
Thanks for the kind note. And, it is hard to fathom that we follow blindly along the road to nowhere.
I’m doing a piece on the damage done (purposely) with NAFTA and the WTO. The U.S. Middle Class was totally blindsided by the passing of these two agreements.
While 100s of thousands of jobs have been lost in industry and agriculture in this year alone, it seems the most pertinent question is, “Who do you think will get to the Superbowl?
The charade is so complete, that million’s of people are out there beating the drum to get THE SAME PEOPLE, re-elected. Geez.
If the great sleep of Middle Class America continues much longer, the back door will be locked.
Mike, it’s simple. Our politicians get tons of money from special interests but they are very adept at pulling the wool over voters’ eyes. Thus they keep getting re-elected and keep giving away taxpayer assets to collect even more campaign contributions. It is an endless cycle that will continue until the people get smart and throw them all out.
I blame a lot of our economy’s problems on Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy at a time of war, which of course sent the economy in a tailspin. What are your thoughts?
Jack Lohman
http://MoneyedPoliticians.net
Jack,
The root problem is practicing an impossible economic basis, Bush’s tax cuts and increased spending are simply accelerating (a lot) the process of reaching the impenatrable barrier.
In my book, I trace the issues back through history.
It’s a humorous read to make the subject more palatable. We are near an impasse Jack. American Middle Class are in jeopardy of sinking into a poverty level.
I believe the next sector to get a wake up call are the upper Middle Class who are making a better than average wage, for producing very little.
Once this economy reaches recession, companies will jettison the heaviest baggage first, which is the class referred to above.
Thanks for your comment, I happy to have you here. Mike