I want to thank my colleagues, our host, Ken and Mary, for hosting this hearing, and you for coming such a long way to make it a reality, and Helen, of course, for her great contribution.
You know, Southern California used to be a place where you could dream, where a young couple could get married, and they could have children, and they could have a dream, and they could pursue that dream, and in many cases achieve it.
And a centerpiece of that dream was home ownership, and my reason, Mr. Chairman, for being here is because I think that that dream is disappearing rapidly, and I can see it very clearly in the facts and figures we're going to put up in a few minutes when we have testimony from some of our witnesses.
But, you know, the average home in San Diego County today is $265,000, and the estimates are that as a result partly of Fish and Wildlife in Carlsbad and other factors—there are other agencies that are involved—that 265, $270,000 median priced home in San Diego County is about 35 percent higher than it needs to be, and that money does not go to profit for developers. It does not go to the construction crews, the people that carry the lunch buckets and build the homes. Those are actually fairly low costs. They are basically in line with the rest of the country.
Plywood and two-by-fours cost the same across the country, but what makes our homes so expensive is the cost of regulation, and so that dream is becoming unachievable. Today you have to make about $70,000 a year to be able to qualify for the median priced home in San Diego County, and that means that our young couples are not able to buy homes. And most of our growth now is coming from people who are having families in our districts. It is not coming from outside folks coming into San Diego and Riverside Counties. So we have a real problem. The American dream is slipping away.
And part of the answer is going to be brought about, I think, by this hearing because we are going to listen to some people who would have been able to have built those homes, and I think home building is a very honorable profession, Mr. Chairman. They would have been able to build those homes for a lot less money, sell them for a lot less money, and that young couple would not have been paying 7 or 7 1/2 percent interest on an additional 30 or $40,000 per home for the next 30 years if government had acted reasonably.
And I have said this before, Mr. Chairman. This may be a little strong, but I talked to one person who actually took a photograph of one of the bumper strips on one of the Federal employee's cars at the Carlsbad office that said essentially, ''Home Builders Can Go to Hell.'' Now, I thought about that.
What if you were a veteran and were going into the Veteran's Affairs Office to try to get your veterans check and you saw the car, happened to see the car of one of the people who was supposed to wait on you and serve you, and it said, ''Veterans Can Go to Hell. That's my attitude,'' or what if you were a senior citizen going to the Social Security Administration and you saw a bumper strip that said, ''Senior Citizens Can Go to Hell''? What kind of service would you expect when you walked in those doors?
Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, I think that that attitude has largely been manifested in real action by some members of the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife office. But let's make this hearing contribute to that most important goal for Southern California, and that is, once again, making the dream of home ownership achievable.
Antoninus, will you please add me to the Duncan Hunter ping list. Thanks!
Real free trade will play well in the midwest.
Excellent. http://www.gohunter08.com
Duncan Hunter Bump!
http://duncanhunter2008.us
It looks as though even real conservatives who advocate for real free trade can't resist economic populism. Hunter is no different than the democrats when it comes to trade. He appeals to class warriors who want the government to raise costs for all Americans in an effort to protect their chosen special interest.
If we have so many people headed to the unemployment office today, why is our unemployment rate just 4.6%, which is lower than the averages for the past three decades? If we're a nation of fast food workers why do our incomes and net worth keep rising? Hunter is right on a lot of issues but he's playing to the Lou Dobbs and Pat Buchanan wing with this protectionism. That does not bode well for his chances. Hopefully, he knows better than to begin ranting about Benedict Arnold CEO's.
Terrific post ~ thank you.
That list of Diane's heros at the end is stunning!!! I almost get a feeling of reverence as I read the names!!!
BTTT!
How come this is in a Blogger?
Thanks, Aunt B. Great post.
Actually, it's a hell of a lot more than that. The median price is about a half-million. No way on God's green earth you're buying a half million dollar home on 70 grand. Even if you could somehow come up with $50 grand to put down, you're still looking at $3400 a month for a mortgage payment once you figure in taxes and insurance and at $70 grand a year, if you're LUCKY you might bring home $3800 after taxes...
Every damned pol in Washington is doing their dead level best to sell American sovereignty to the highest bidder. This crap is going to come home to roost one day, and my God what a day of rude awakenings that's going to be.
To All;
We all have our opinions about trade and how it effects our national security. With that said, I will take the opinion of someone who sits on the Armed Service Committee and who also has had his kid go off to war with the equipment he has purchased over some armchair suedo economist from Free Republic who's only response to most arguments is to ask what the definition of is, is.
By Hunter's own words to C-pac, we only have one manufacture of "amour plating" state side. This is a good thing? Do you feel comfortable with this? If you do, than most likely you have never left the comfort of your super comfotable leather chair that sits in front of your PC to go fight in a war. Having 7.62 x 39mm rounds whizzing past your "free trade with commies religion" head just might change your mind.
Disclaimer: I have not gone to war, but I lay awake praying for many close friends that are in harms way right now.
Duncan Hunter is right on most of the issues and very right wing on those that the GOP is wrong on.
It hunting season I'M A HUNTER.
FYI Ping!
Does anyone have the link to Diane Alden's article that was mentioned in the article?
Bump!
What is his attitude on illegal immigration and amnesty?
BTTT!
FYI