The quotes that follow from the first two nights of the 2020 Democratic primary are not to be construed as an endorsement of that candidate or their positions. In some cases, the quotes are aimed to underscore claims backed by evidence. The candidate may be right on the facts but may or may not be correct in their proposal to deal with those facts.
With that said, consider these pull quotes, taken from the full debate transcripts from NBC, linked here.
- “It has been far too long that the monopolies have been making the campaign contributions, have been funding the super PACs, have been out there making sure that their influence is heard and felt in every single decision that gets made in Washington.” Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA-D).
- “I know what it’s like to rent a home and to worry about whether you’re going to be able to pay the rent at the first of the month and to see a mom work very, very hard and know that moms across this country are getting paid less simply because they’re women.” Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro.
- “I mean, first of all, we’ve got to recognize that the China challenge really is a serious one. This is not something to dismiss or wave away. And if you look at what China is doing, they’re using technology for the perfection of dictatorship.” South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
“I think we have a serious problem in our country with corporate consolidation. And you see the evidence of that in how dignity is being stripped from labor, and we have people that work full-time jobs and still can’t make a living wage.
We see that because consumer prices are being raised by pharmaceutical companies that often have monopolistic holds on drugs. And you see that by just the fact that this is actually an economy that’s hurting small businesses and not allowing them to compete.
One of the most aggressive bills in the Senate to deal with corporate consolidation is mine about corporate consolidation in the ag sector. So I feel very strongly about the need to check the corporate consolidation and let the free market work.” Senator Cory Booker (NJ-D).
- “…we have to restore the backbone of America, the poor and hardworking middle class people.” – Former Vice President Joe Biden.
“So the way I understand this, it’s there is way too much consolidation now in giant industries in this country. That hurts workers. It hurts small businesses. It hurts independent farmers. It hurts our economy overall.
And it helps constrict real innovation and growth in this economy.
Now, look, we’ve had the laws out there for a long time to be able to fight back. What’s been missing is courage, courage in Washington to take on the giants. That’s part of the corruption in this system.” – Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA-D).
- “…the 40 million of us who can’t start a family, can’t take a good idea and start a business and can’t buy our first home.” – Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-D).
“Socialism, in that sense, is not the solution. We have to look at what really will make a difference…
“I’m a small-business owner who brought that same scrappy spirit to big Colorado, one of the most progressive states in America.” – former Governor John Hickenlooper.
- “…And at a time when we have three people in this country owning more wealth than the bottom half of America, while 500,000 people are sleeping out on the streets today, we think it is time for change, real change.” Senator Bernie Sanders (VT-I, causes with Democrats).
- “Right now, we have a system that favors those who can pay for access and outcomes. That’s how you explain an economy that is rigged to corporations and to the very wealthiest.” Former Texas Congressman Robert ‘Beto’ O’Rourke.
“I think we have to do real things to help American workers and the American people. Right? This is the issue that all of us hear on the campaign trail…
Then we’ve got to fix our public education system. It’s not delivering the results our kids needs, nor is college and post high school career and technical training programs doing that. You know, I’m very different than everyone else here on the stage. Prior to being in Congress, I was an entrepreneur. I started two businesses. I created thousands of jobs. I spent my whole career helping small- to mid-sized businesses all over the country, 5,000 of them I supported. The Obama administration gave me an award for lending to disadvantaged communities.
I know how to create jobs…” – Former Maryland Congressman John Delaney.
- “I was 6 years old when a presidential candidate came to the California Democratic Convention and said it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans. That candidate was then-Senator Joe Biden. Joe Biden was right when he said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans 32 years ago. He is still right today.” – Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-D).
There were other noteworthy quotes shared by many of the candidates, not just those noted above or that follow. A weakness in the format was arguably that there was too few serious follow up questions. For example, in areas where the income inequality, the education process, housing policy, or gun laws have been in Democratic hands for decades, how do those candidates explain that they want to move the nation ahead with their plan, when prior efforts clearly failed?
Wittingly or not, NBC moderator Jose Diaz-Balart made that point with respect to New York City with this question: “Mayor De Blasio, good evening. You’re the mayor of the biggest city in the United States, but it’s also one of the cities in the country with the greatest gap between the wealthy and the poor. How would you address income inequality?”
In that sense of candidates with longer records and little to show for it are perhaps among the most vulnerable contenders. An example of such is former Vice President Joe Biden. When any candidate says they can ‘fix’ the economy to be more fair to the worker, or fix the problem of big business consolidating smaller ones and their overbearing market and political power, how can they say that with a straight face? Especially when they had years in office to do so, but failed to do it? Or, how can a candidate rail against ‘Wall Street,’ or big businesses, when they have accepted years of campaign contributions from some of those same big corporate interests directly or through PACs?
- “Yes, they will pay more in taxes, but less in health care for what they get.” – Senator Bernie Sanders. What wasn’t nailed down in that bit of candor is the point made by Thomas Sowell.
Huge Shortage of Doctors Looming, Is ObamaCare the Fix or Blame?
Be it heath insurance, which is not the same as health care, or most any other instance one cares to mention, government routinely is less efficient than the private sector. The waiting time for treatments in Canada and England for certain procedures with their socialized medical care can be months to years. That’s why the solution linked here, which costs less and is already proven to work, is but one example of free enterprise offering solutions that big government has failed to deliver. Why have so many members of both major parties largely ignored that proven pathway?
Whatever the answer to that question, that being so, what must occur is fostering more competition, not less of it. That’s why the issue of consolidation and monopolization should be important to every American. It is an area that Democrats – at least in their talking points – have been engaged on more than the GOP, which some have taken notice and are mimicking. While some monopolistic minded businesses may give away something free or at lower cost to gain market share, in time, other options are eliminated. Once no other options exist, where will the competition be to keep prices in check?
That’s why some of those quotes from Democratic candidates cited above are important. As Senator Warren has put it, the laws needed to address these challenges are already on the books. They should be enforced.
What members of both major parties should do, with respect to manufactured housing, is hold hearings to explore how market dominance was or is being achieved, and through prompt public hearings put pressure on federal agencies to act sooner, than later.
The Manufactured Housing Connections, Opportunities and Obstacles
Manufactured home professionals should take heart that HUD Secretary Ben Carson has been pushing a narrative for some 2 years, and has recently connected it directly with manufactured housing. Carson’s recent speech in New Orleans de facto addresses how manufactured homes could play an important role in addressing the issue of income inequality in a way that – at least so far – not one of the Democratic candidates have made a similar tie-in.
Dr. Carson’s evidence based notion is this. Home ownership is perhaps the most proven form of personal or household wealth creation. As Carson said in his speech linked here and above, the typical home owning family has a net worth of some $200,000 vs. the typical renter having a net worth of only some $5,000. Carson further pointed out that FHFA data reflects the point that manufactured homes can appreciate in value too. Rephrased, Carson confirmed prior data points made by researchers, for example, linked here.
The thumbnail analysis above should not be construed to mean that the GOP has every answer, nor that the Democrats do. There are areas that each major party tends to have a superior or inferior track record.
What citizens must recognize is that identifying a problem is only the start. When someone says ‘free college tuition,’ the same principle that Senator Sanders said applies. There is nothing free, someone always pays. Sanders admitted that the middle class will have to pay more in taxes for so-called ‘free’ health care. The same principle applies to free education or any other government handout.
How many taxpayers will be willing to pay for free healthcare for hundreds of thousand to potentially millions of new illegal immigrants a year? When the Trump Campaign starts hammering home those and other points, Democrats will have to pivot or look like they lack basic math skills. Yet on the second night of the primary debates in Miami, all 10 Democrats on stage raised their hand to say that their health care plan would cover all border crossers.
Do they realize that if that would be true, then what is to stop someone from coming to the U.S. by plane boat, or via the northern border? Get to the U.S., and you’ll get free healthcare, and a raft of other promises of free stuff?
That’s a concern that a few Democrats have prudently raised. Time will tell if they pivot. If they don’t, will promises of free stuff that can’t possibly be honored triumph over reality? We’ll see.
The path to prosperity is arguably found in a combination of factors:
- breaking up the power of huge conglomerates that drive down employment and keep wages lower in the process.
- Illegal immigration creates a large pool of lower wage workers too, so controlling borders to prevent illegal entry and vetting who is allowed into enter the country is just common sense that most nations follow.
- Creating a path to sustainable home ownership that is as simple as possible is prudent too.
These are issues that some Democrats have already proven their ability to engage in positively, as have some Republicans.
- Facts vs. fantasy.
- Truth over false promises.
- Equality of opportunity and rights, not contrived or forced outcomes.
- Economic basics being applied.
These are some of the things that more of America’s elected and appointed political leaders must learn to embrace. The late Democratic leader, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, wisely said the following famous maxim.
NBC’s Savanah Guthrie asked Colorado’s former governor the following. “Governor Hickenlooper… You’ve warned that Democrats will lose in 2020 if they “embrace socialism,” as you put it.”
Hickenlooper replied, “Well, I think that the bottom line is, if we don’t clearly define that we are not socialists, the Republicans are going to come at us every way they can and call us socialists.”
Right or wrong, belief in socialism is rising, but is still not half of the population. But when on scratches deeper, what has a broad coalition across the left-right spectrum is a belief that the system is rigged. Many who think they want socialism actually want justice. They want to level the playing field.
That’s where the fertile ground could be found for those willing to tackle in an honest and sensible fashion what has gone wrong for so many in America. That includes why so many don’t get it that manufactured housing is a valid solution for the American Dream of home ownership, along with the how and why that understanding has been thwarted.
There is plenty of fertile ground for the GOP or Democrats to work in concert, or to campaign on a platform that will be more than empty promises.
It is real challenges and pragmatic solutions that we strive to monitor, fact-check, and report on here at MHProNews.
With no further adieu, let’s dive into the reports for the week that was.
What’s New on MHLivingNews
Manufactured Home Resident Leader Asks For Federal Investigations – manufacturedhomelivingnews.com
Californian Robert ‘Bob’ Van Cleef is involved in manufactured home resident advocacy. Bob and his wife sold their home and moved into a manufactured home. They enjoy their manufactured home, but were unpleasantly surprised by certain developments in their community. That’s when Bob stepped up to volunteer as community leader.
Open Letter – Kurt Kelley, Joanne Stevens, Frank Rolfe, Manufactured Housing Review About Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Request For Information from Manufactured Home Community Owners – manufacturedhomelivingnews.com
Kurt Kelley, JD, is the publisher of the Manufactured Housing Review ( MHR), as the below reflects in his quarterly’s ” Publisher’s Message.” For the 2019 Quarter 1 issue, his message read in part as follows. [in this issue] address Senator Elizabeth Warren’s attempt to gather private information from Manufactured Home Community owners.
What’s New in Washington, D.C. from MHARR
White House Announces Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers To Affordable Housing | Manufactured Housing Association Regulatory Reform
MHARR participated in a conference call on June 25, 2019, conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), during which White House officials announced the impending issuance of an Executive Order (EO) to create a “White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing.”
Unnecessary/Damaging Bills Introduced in Congress | Manufactured Housing Association Regulatory Reform
MHARR, based on numerous inquiries from industry members, has conducted a study and investigation of parallel bills introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives, entitled the “HUD Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2019.” The Senate version of the bill – S. 1804 – was filed on June 13, 2019.
What’s New on the Daily Business News on MHProNews
Saturday 6.29.2019
Friday 6.28.2019
• Rent Controls and Manufactured Housing Restrictions Targeted in New Presidential Executive Order
Rent Controls and Manufactured Housing Restrictions Targeted in New Presidential Executive Order
Thursday 6.27.2019
• Berkshire’s Joanne Stevens Rips Manufactured Housing Institute
Berkshire’s Joanne Stevens Rips Manufactured Housing Institute
• Controversial Association Award Spotlights Manufactured Home Industry Challenges
Controversial Association Award Spotlights Manufactured Home Industry Challenges
Wednesday 6.26.20.19
• First of Two Night Democratic 2020 Presidential Debates Ahead, Videos, Facts
• Federal Bill that MHI, Prosperity Now, NAMHCO Tout – MHARR Opposes, Why?
Federal Bill that MHI, Prosperity Now, NAMHCO Tout – MHARR Opposes, Why?
Tuesday 6.25.2019
• Sun Communities (SUI) As Viewed by Hedge Funds Data, Per Media Reports
Sun Communities (SUI) As Viewed by Hedge Funds Data, Per Media Reports
• 21st Mortgage Corporation Manufactured Housing Loan Data, Per Federal Sources
21st Mortgage Corporation Manufactured Housing Loan Data, Per Federal Sources
Monday 6.24.2019
• HD’s Bernie Marcus Says Bernie Sanders ‘Enemy of Entrepreneur,’ plus Manufactured Home Stock Updates
HD’s Bernie Marcus Says Bernie Sanders ‘Enemy of Entrepreneur,’ plus Manufactured Home Stock Updates
• Driverless Trucks Coming to Big Box, Will Emerging Tech Impact Manufactured Housing Deliveries?
Driverless Trucks Coming to Big Box, Will Emerging Tech Impact Manufactured Housing Deliveries?
Sunday 6.23.2019
That’s all that she – and that other guy – wrote on the week that was. Thanks to our sponsors and readers for making and keeping us the runaway number one in MHVille. That’s a wrap for this Sunday morning edition of “News Through the Lens of Manufactured Homes, and Factory-Built Housing,” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” ©. ## (Headline news in review, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary.)
1) Marketing, Web, Video, Consulting, Recruiting and Training Resources
Submitted by Soheyla Kovach to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.com. Soheyla is a managing member of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
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George Orwell, All Issues Are Political Issues, Manufactured Housing Challenges, and You
