I tend to agree with you. If the mortgage deduction provides incentive and affordability for, say, young married couples, to buy their first home and become invested in their neighborhoods and communities, then it is probably a good thing to continue. But I think it should be limited to primary residence, and capped at some dollar amount. JMHO
I think taking away BOTH the mortgage interest/tax and medical deduction would be a killer for a lot of people. This is the first year that my medical deduction, even with the higher Obamacare-mandated limit, is going to kick in for me (it was the health year from hell.) Taking even one of them away would probably lower my Schedule A deductions to below the standard, giving me no benefit.
I think the medical deduction floor limit needs to be much lower than even before O-care. It should be something like 2% of AGI. The inter-generational parasites on society aren’t going to benefit from such a lower limit because they don’t pay for healthcare anyway, and don’t have enough to itemize. Just another way to put more money in the hands of conservatives.