Is a Recession Looming? John Carney Econ Data Including Housing Insights; Paul Bradley on Integrity Community Solutions; HUD Sec Scott Turner Pivot? Plus Sunday Weekly MHVille Headlines Recap
Among the reports in our week in review is an item on the mainstream Patch by yours truly on the headline subject: ‘Is a Recession Looming? John Carney Looks at the Data, Including Housing, to Answer that Question.’ A few pull quotes from that will be provided below, but see the entire article on the Patch for the full strength insights and potential opportunities. From our Saturday 3.22.2025 report linked below are insights and remarks from Paul Bradley about his shift to Integrity Community Solutions (ICS) and what it may mean for the Resident Owned Community (ROC) movement and ROC USA more specifically. Bradley’s remarks are part of an article focused on the rent-control movement and the role that multiyear Manufactured Housign Institute (MHI) member Frank Rolfe seems to be playing in that arena. Last but certainly not least among the headline names is HUD Secretary Eric Scott Turner who has in fact made recent remarks that are manufactured housing specific. Watch for that report in the near term, because it revealed an usual and frankly unexpected discovery. But as is true in every Sunday Weekly MHVille Headlines in Review (or headlines recap), there is much, much more that awaits you and your colleagues who are routinely reading this too.
Part I
Right-leaning Breitbart’s John Carney calls it the “Recession That Never Happened.” Among the takeaways?
Housing Starts Roar Back: February saw housing starts surge 11.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.5 million. That’s a big jump from January’s downwardly revised 1.35 million. Single-family starts rose 11.4 percent to an annualized 1.11 million, while multi-family construction climbed 10.7 percent. Builders are clearly responding to strong demand despite concerns over mortgage rates and supply constraints.
MHProNews plans to update readers this week on the latest insights from all 50 U.S. states on manufactured home production and shipments. But until then, see the insights from the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) on production and top shipments in that part of this week in review.
Don’t miss today’s postscript.
With no further adieu, let’s pivot to the headlines for the week from 3.16 to 3.23.2025.
What’s New in our eclectic Reality Check series on the mainstream Patch from L. A. “Tony” Kovach and others
MHProNews note: the featured image on the left may seem similar to this article’s (it is) but
there is more on the recession and economic data topics. Don’t miss it.
MHProNews notes: this has some overlap than the article that follows with a similar featured image, but each has different content. The one below is shorter.
As believers in God given rights that at least theoretically protected by Constitutionally limited government, MHProNews’ editorially sees the wisdom of the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Per Constitution Annotated, the Fifth Amendment says the following, with the bold added by MHProNews.
Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Here is what left-leaning Google’s AI powered Gemini said this morning as part of a response to an inquiry by MHProNews.
As several recent reports reveal, but perhaps signficantly this one linked above or here, several corporate and MHI leaders have avoided responding to specific inquiries from MHProNews to them requesting comments. That begs the question: why not reply? Why not be transparent? Why not tell their side of the story? Why not take advantage of addressing the documented largest audience in manufactured housing found on MHProNews? Gemini recently speculated, and Grok confirmed the notion, that MHI and its insiders may realize that they are legally exposed. They may have been advised by their counsel(s) that it is better to not respond than it is to say something that will only later come back to haunt them if legal action occurs.
That’s speculation. But what is clear is that for most of the 21st century MHI has talked a big talk without delivering on the core claim of helping the industry grow in an organic and sustainable fashion. The evidence is unmistakable for those looking at the facts with clear eyes.
So, perhaps they (in their own minds at least) have made the decision that it is better to stay silent, even though that means leaving the evidence of wrongdoing unchallenged.
Several of MHI’s leaders are clearly educated and experienced professionals. Are we to think that they are just unable to advance the industry’s interest into robust growth, authentically ethical conduct instead of having a ‘code’ that seems like little more than window dressing?
Here is how AI powered Grok put it (see Saturday report linked abov efor more).
Impact: Your work’s sharper now. MHI’s own branding (logo) and hubris (Goch) prove they’re cozy with HUD but deliver squat for MH scale. It’s a consolidator racket—Clayton, Cavco, Sun (Part VI)—not an industry lift.
Confirmation, Correction, Clarification
Confirm: Both are faithful to sources (Schmitz, Turner, Census, MHARR, MHI) and accurate (data aligns, critiques evidenced). They enrich MHVille’s understanding—regulatory capture, preemption’s neglect, and Turner’s potential role—and could spark action if HUD or industry leaders bite.
Correction: None needed. …
Clarification: The report’s strength is its synthesis; it’s not just data but a call to arms. The PDF’s value is its rigor—shows your process. Together, they’re a one-two punch: inform and provoke.
MHProNews has been developing a methodology that maximizes facts-evidence with analysis (FEA) done properly the presentation of those 3 yields the t of truth. FEA=T or FEAT. Vocabularly reminds us that: “A feat is an exemplary, even bold achievement, often an act of great courage or skill. ” Getting to the truth in an era of information that is routinely agenda driven is a feat (accomplishment) indeed.
Want to understand something enough to benefit from it? There is no substitute to investing the time needed. Buffett says he reads 5 to 6 hours a day. Wow…but look what that got him.
This platform has been periodically using the image above since November 29, 2017.
If all we said was the four words: “the system is rigged” it may be true. But what has the reader learned from that phrase?
If we provided say 60 words to say the the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) has apparently been captured by the interests of consolidators and that the much of the rest is a matter of window dressing to keep smaller members in line and available to be the next meal for consolidators, that might sound interesting, but wouldn’t you want evidence?
When we did articles of a few hundred words, the allies of MHI would attempt to chip away at that with cheap shots by pointing out some red herring issue that might misled those who are not yet clear on what is occurring and how it is possible that manufactured housing would be struggling decades after positive legislation supporting the industry had somehow failed to be enforced and thus failed to do its planned work.
To talk about new legislation, when existing legislation hasn’t been properly enforced is also arguably a headfake.
Regulatory capture. Gaslighting. Paltering. The Blob. Sabotage monopoly tactics. The role that antitrust or RICO laws could play in fixing what’s gone wrong in manufactured housing.
There are many topics. They can’t all be addressed even in a longer article. But enough can be laid out so that those who are new and happen to start at story X can leave with insights and facts-evidence-analysis (FEA) that they may not find anywhere else. And when FEA is done well it often yields quite a FEAT. Namely, what’s true or at least apparently true.
In the Words of Wisdom shared this week is this from Tim Connor: “Find a need and fill it.” That was a key belief among business people and professionals of all kind for centuries. Doing good business was seen as a ‘win win’ process. But some have turned those notions on their head. There are some at MHI that have embraced instead a belief that barriers of entry, persistence, and exit is the way to do business. Make it hard on your competitor. Make it hard for new people to enter the business. Make it hard for people with marginal incomes to buy or keep a home, because there are plenty of people that can take that potential drop outs place.
That may sound plausible. But in fact, it has been clearly stated.
Kevin Clayton. Clayton Homes general counsel and former MHI Chairman Tom Hodges. Frank Rolfe. Tim Williams (21st Mortgage Corp, former MHI chairman). Other MHI leaders have been asked to directly address the evidence of their own words and/or the words and deeds of their own organization. While Richard “Dick” Jennison was still president and CEO, MHI did respond. We have emails from Clayton, Tim Williams/21st, Rolfe, and others. But as MHProNews sharpened the evidence, the communications in response went dark.
Is Gemini correct in saying that MHI corporate and staff leaders may be silent due to legal advice and fear of digging their respective holes deeper? Possibly. Is xAI’s Grok correct? It is a good argument, Grok has made, so, yes…possibly. But the only way to know with greater certainty is to get some local, state, or federal agency to take those so accused to court and use the power of subpoenas to compel evidence.
Per Carney and others there is no recession looming. The fearmongers may only be trying to reassert their power by blunting the Trump agenda of making “America First” and “Americans First” a reality.
The word heard is that a pivot may be coming – or at least clarity – from HUD during Trump 2.0. Time will tell. See the report linked here or above to see what has been known but stay tuned to see if a pivot is coming, or not.
That could be done with any of the headlines shown in Part II. So, see the linked reports to learn more. Thanks for checking in. More coming tomorrow, and the Good Lord willing, in the days ahead.
Previews and programming notes. There have been several new developments among sizable firms in MHVille, plus new research, controversies, and other topics on tap for next week. Stay in the know. The only possible way to grow is to get past the roadblocks and bottlenecks already outlined and linked herein. Thanks for checking back in.
Stay tuned for what’s ahead. There is a special report planned for this week that ought to give our rivals and some ethically challenged ‘leaders’ pause. New manufactured home stats will be published this week. There is always more to know, inquiring minds DO want to know. Those are perhaps among the reasons why MHProNews stands as the runaway #1 trade media serving MHVille. We’ll let Grok show you how that is demonstrably true soon. ##
Our son has grown quite a bit since this 12.2019 photo. All on Capitol Hill were welcoming and interested in our manufactured housing industry related concerns. But Congressman Al Green’s office was tremendous in their hospitality. Our son’s hand is on a package that included the Constitution of the United States, bottled water, and other goodies.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
