Affordable housing’s not so affordable solution
Looking for an easy solution to this complicated problem, hundreds of cities and counties have adopted so-called “inclusionary zoning” ordinances, demanding that developers build and sell a certain percentage of the homes they develop...
Nation in lockdown
I live in California, whose governor, Gavin Newsom, in March issued Executive Order N-33-20. The order requires Californians to shelter at home unless they are involved in any of 16 different infrastructure sectors—or seeking...
Making Disparate Impact deliver fairness
HUD’s proposed revisions to our disparate-impact rule enhance our commitment to fairness for everyone.
Everyone agrees that discrimination has no place in society. But everyone also agrees that a city should be able to require...
Clinton tax increases slowed growth
But what really happened after Clinton raised taxes? The historical record is clear, and it isn't what President Obama would have you believe.
Clinton signed his tax hike into law in September 1993, the same...
The hidden virtues of income inequality
The New York Times recently ran a front-page exposé of segregation by wealth in the booming cruise business. The article, by Nelson Schwartz, was entitled “In an Age of Privilege, Not Everyone Is in...
Senate Bill 1217 makes first round, applauded by NMHC and NAA
The vote passed 13-9, which is one more vote than senators said they had during the first mark-up on April 29, when they decided to delay the bill in an effort to build a...
Politicians seek relief for renters, but landlords have rights too
State and local governments have closed businesses across the country in response to COVID-19, putting millions of Americans out of work. Right now, those Americans’ biggest concerns are keeping a roof over their heads...
Climate forecast: muting the alarm
The 2007 report was riddled with errors about Himalayan glaciers, the Amazon rain forest, African agriculture, water shortages and other matters, all of which erred in the direction of alarm. This led to a...
The future of housing
While our industry has often been slow to adopt new technologies, the opposite, of course, is true of the electronics industry. As such, I decided to attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held earlier...
Challenging Disparate Impact
“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without...
The madness of Capitol Hill’s kings
The bill is an economic disaster. It will destroy jobs and harm capital creation. Even in the best of times, such an act would be extremely hurtful to the economy. Under these circumstances, it's...
Mourning the loss of freedom to fail
It is perhaps even stranger to claim that we should actually fear losing the freedom to fail. Most of us are hardwired to avoid losing, and giving up the prospect does not logically seem...
Why Biden’s plan to help make housing affordable will make it more expensive
Because the 2020 election was largely a referendum on President Donald Trump, many of Joe Biden’s policy proposals have been overlooked until now. The recent announcement of some of his cabinet picks shows that...
More rent control in California will make the housing problem worse
Rent control is a terrible idea that just won’t die. The latest example is a new bill working its way through the California legislature that would cap annual rent increases at 5 percent for...
Death and taxes
If you're planning on dying soon, you might want to hurry up. It's that other certainty of life you'll want to watch out for. The estate tax, which taxes the inheritance you pass on...
