Thursday, March 23, 2006

Fewer Families Can Afford a Home Now


Photo courtesy of Damon Hartley. A homeless couple and their 2 yr old daughter hitchhike on a Detroit freeway in an attempt to get back to their native AZ after being unable to find work in Mich. As home foreclosures surge and a no housing boom for poor families spreads like wildfire in the US, we have this from USAToday: "Nearly 70% of Americans own their homes, a record high, but the rate of homeownership for working families w/ children is lower than in 1978, according to a study released by the Center for Housing Policy. The surprising trend is being driven by a combination of factors: soaring housing costs that have overshot wage increases, higher health care bills and a rise in the number of single parents. Single parents? That must be due to gay people being allowed to marry, b/c that destroys families and somehow causes straight people to not marry and/or end half of all marriages in divorce... or so the Talibornagains tell me. Healthcare costs? God forbid we actually do something about that like have universal healthcare. If you are lucky enough to have employer benefits, you are oftentimes unable to pay the deductibles, co-pays, and meds. And low wages? Hey, as a commentor said here yesterday, the US poverty rate is equal to the median income in Spain, so we had just better STFU and be damned happy for any scrap employers throw at us, even if it is NOT a living wage. Minority working families have struggled the most. Their homeownership rate has stagnated at 45%, far below white families (71%). Imagine all that will ya? The labor market in our economy produces lots of low-wage jobs. Housing costs far exceed what these wages can afford per yr on mortgages. And minorities have lower rates of homeownership than non minorities? Color me shocked! There is an incredible disconnect between the housing market, the labor market and the actual costs of living... but disconnect from reality is just par for the course in Bush World and Bush's complete disregard for America's working families. That's pro-life, no?
Posted by Tina :: 6:20 AM :: 11 Comments:

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