The official statistics for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have provided national HUD Code manufactured housing production and shipment data for September 2020. That data has been compiled and analyzed in brief in a report by the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), which is found below. The arrows that reflect which state is ‘up or down’ were added by MHProNews. Additional information will follow the MHARR report.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: MHARR
(202) 783-4087
Manufactured Home Production Records Modest Increases in September 2020
Washington, D.C., November 4, 2020 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) reports that according to official statistics compiled on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HUD Code manufactured housing industry year-over-year production increased in September 2020. Just-released statistics indicate that HUD Code manufacturers produced 8,143 homes in September 2020, a 1.3% increase over the 8,034 new HUD Code homes produced during September 2019. Cumulative 2020 production at the end of September 2020, now stands at 69,726 homes as compared with 70,497 homes produced over the same period in 2019, a decline of 1.0%.
A further analysis of the official industry statistics shows that the top ten shipment states from the beginning of the industry production rebound in August 2011 through September 2020 — with cumulative, monthly, current year (2020) and prior year (2019) shipments per category as indicated — are:
The September 2020 production data results in no changes to the cumulative top-ten list.
The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform is a Washington, D.C.-based national trade association representing the views and interests of independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing.
— 30 –
The report above from MHARR should be viewed through the following data points.
Additional Manufactured Housing Information, 2020 Election Snapshot, MHProNews Analysis and Commentary
First, the manufactured housing data should be viewed in the context of the following reports.
Manufactured Housing Battleground – “Hold Texas, Hold the Nation” – New Data, Book Insights
There is an undisputed affordable housing crisis in America. Yet, relatively low levels of manufactured housing production has been the norm for over 15 years. Why? Part of that inquiry should be viewed through the lens of the finance related report that follows.
This next report also looks prescient, based upon the recent developments.
Recent state-by-state data will also provided added insights.
State-by-State Manufactured Home Production, Shipment Data – October 2020 Report and Analysis
Mainstream housing insights, which reflects trends that ought to be good for our industry, are found in the report linked below.
On the 2020 Election Front…
The regulatory environment is clearly impacted by politics.
As tens of millions know, the 2020 election outcome is not yet decided. It may in time be viewed as the 2000 post-election battle between Democrats and Republicans over hanging chads over disputed ballots cast in Florida that ended up going to the Supreme Court. George W. Bush emerged from that contest as the 43rd U.S. President.
What will occur this time is unfolding.
Right-of-center Fox News reported early on in their coverage that Democrats would pick up at least 5 seats. That has proven to be incorrect, as Republicans in the most recent reporting gained seats in the election, and some were in ‘Democratic strongholds.’
Left-of-center Politico said that the election outcome:
- was an ‘abject disaster’ for the Democrats that they supported.
From a pro-GOP Senate source is this pull quote from an email:
- “The election is over, but the Democrats and their allies in the liberal media aren’t done playing politics.”
Each of those statements from sources on either side of the divide may well be accurate. Regarding the above from a GOP source, that statement clearly doesn’t mean that Republicans don’t play politics too. “Playing politics” occurs in both major parties. It is arguably, per anecdotal evidence, one of several things that keeps millions from voting. That said, for those motivated to go beyond merely political observations, the truth can often be sifted.
It may not be fun or easy, but as educator and media commentator Chrysalis Wright said, not all news is fake news. There is truth that may be found on both sides of the political aisle.
MHProNews has for years provided information every business evening from a range of sources, including mainstream media such as CNN or Fox Business. These span the left-right media divide. The reasons MHProNews has done this for years have been noted to readers and viewers numerous times. They include, but are not limited to, the notion that sometimes one source may be better on a specific topic than another.
But that is not to elevate some source to an unmerited degree of confidence. Nor is it to blindly trust a given source. MHProNews has for years touted the simple notion of sifting the wheat from the chaff.
As was noted above, the 2020 presidential race is still in doubt and may prove to be so for days or perhaps weeks on end. MHProNews receives information and input from Democratic as well as Republican sources, along with information from minor political or other groups. These are sifted for insights, mindful of that ancient wisdom of separating the wheat from the chaff.
A pro-Democratic source with interests in manufactured housing – in a emailed message addressing concerns from reports raised by MHProNews – wrote the following. Typos or other errors are in the original.
“Obama made a lot of money on book deals. Is that okay? Don’t all politicians become rich after entering government. Oh I see. They can make money but Obama can’t.
And of course, Trump wants to fire Fauci now. Trump destroys everyone that gets in his way because he is a bully.
I have been wrong before but I’m not wrong about Trump. Yes I do agree big money is a problem from both sides, but the Democrats seem to be more humane and that is very important to me. I have a number of Hispanic friends that are hard workers. They don’t deserve to be treated like dirt.
Just maybe you are wrong too.”
That writer’s comment ducks the uncomfortable notion that a favored politico – in that person’s case, Barack Obama, cashed in. At who’s expense? Further, that writer failed to even consider this question. Does Fauci merit firing? Dr. Fauci was testifying to Congress about the risk of pandemics in early December 2019 while a pandemic was developing in Wuhan, China. Perhaps it was a mistake. But given Fauci’s role and that of others in the federal government who are supposed to be held accountable for pandemic avoidance, why haven’t heads already rolled? One answer is timing. Politics.
That email from that periodic reader was accompanied by a set of videos that may have been meant to mock ‘Trump supporters.’ One of those was a CBS News video taken during the impeachment hearings.
This was another video from that same manufactured home industry connected individual, which dated back before the 2016 election. It is dated Oct 31, 2016 – just over a week before the 2016 election. This video was produced by a British news outlet and is entitled “Meet Donald Trump’s Supporters.”
The YouTube page for the above included this text: “Donald Trump sees the FBI announcement as justification for his repeated jibes about “crooked Hillary” and the tone of his recent campaigning has become, if anything, even more hostile.” An elderly woman is among those that the British reporter briefly interviewed. That woman had used a mock “Hillary doll” to stick pins into.
- Was that woman sticking pins into ‘Hillary’ supposed to represent Trump supporters?
- Is that akin to some who say that an anarchist, looter, or rioter in the street who is supposed to represent a Biden-Harris supporter? Such implications are insulting to thinking people on both sides.
Left-of-center CNN’s Van Jones said post-election that the ‘the fact the election is this close hurts.’
A lot of Democrats are hurting tonight. Moral victory and political victory are not the same.
Political victory is possible. But we wanted to see a repudiation of this direction for the country, and that has not yet come. That hurts.
Still – we need to #CountEveryVote. pic.twitter.com/VuRCihtjuy
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) November 4, 2020
For those who see the President as a racist, it must come as a shock that the number of blacks and Latinos who voted for the President, in some early post-election analysis, has apparently surged. Doesn’t that call into question the merits of the claims of racism?
One of the problems on both sides of the news media divide is the use of hyperbole. That disclaimer noted, Carlson’s commentary last night is interesting.
Often record levels of voting means that both Democrats, Republicans as well as minor party candidates were able to rally their respective bases. Former Obama-era VP Joe Biden said he wanted to heal the nation, but he called Trump supporters “chumps.”
Left-of-center PolitiFact said it like this. Biden says: “I am running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president for everybody. I’ll work as hard for those who don’t support me as those who do, including those chumps at the microphone out there.”
That was one of several moments compared to Secretary Hillary Clinton’s ‘basket of deplorables‘ comment in 2016 that was meant to insult Trump supporters, but energized them instead. Name calling – regardless of who does it – doesn’t make the person smearing another correct, if the name calling is a smear.
There are voters who recall President Obama’s pledge of being a post-partisan president, but who once he was elected into office, said that Republicans would have to go to the back of the bus.
While that statement cited above was couched by President Obama as if special interests where all Republicans, following the money trail reveals that they are routinely Democrats. This graphic is from 2018, but the pattern is reportedly holding, save one Koch has since died, and another declined to support President Trump.
Only those who have the gift of memory, are willing memory and history objectively, can hope to discern what is real and what is fake.
Let’s note that PolitiFact, in the quoted ‘fact check’ above said this. “Joe Biden calls Pennsylvania voters who don’t support him ‘chumps,’” the posts said.
They were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)”
A rule of thumb that must be asked over an over is who is paying for what and why? Facebook reportedly pays their fact-checkers. How much does that influence their fact-checkers’ analysis? How much do the fact-checkers get paid?
“In an earnings call on January 29, Facebook disclosed that it had $71 billion in revenue in 2019. How much of that did it spend on its U.S. fact-checking program? Facebook declined to comment,” said Popular Info.
Campaign contributions from Facebook and other tech giants widely favored Democrats. Does that suggest that on some level they share a common view? Isn’t it obvious that someone doesn’t normally donate or support a view that they disagree with?
The need for objectivity and analytical thinking are among the factors that must be sorted out by tens of millions in this post-2020 election. For months, everyone was told about a coming ‘blue wave.’ What happened to that wave, is what Democratic leaning Politico asks? The segment from right-of-center Fox’s Tucker Carlson poses an interesting pre-election topic that may have presaged Van Jones’ lament. Carlson says that crowds like the one shown are an indictment of America’s ruling class.
The need for a proper and objective historic lens, as opposed to tainted and purely partisan views, is going to be more important than ever. With so much tech, media, and funding from the wealthy available – largely, but not exclusively – to those on the political left, it begs the question. Are Democrats still the party of the little guy? Just three U.S. Senate races targeting Republicans had Susan Collins (ME-R), Mitch McConnell (KY-R), and Lindsey Graham (SC-R) had roughly a quarter of a billion dollars spent trying to defeat them. Open Secrets says this has been the most expensive race in U.S. history. While some of that was from small dollar donors, Democratic billionaire Michael Bloomberg reportedly spent $100 million trying to be Donald Trump in Florida alone. In that state at least, Bloomberg, big money, plus purported big tech and media bias failed.
Individuals have to be able to step back and sift through evidence of fake, agenda-driven, often money driven, news and information.
Back to our industry, manufactured housing is underperforming during an affordable housing crisis. Part of the reason is an improper understanding of the realities of our industry. That is made worse by the problems outlined above, regarding the media and information landscape.
Who is to be held to account for these sobering realities?
Isn’t it the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) that claims to represent all segments of the industry? Then why is it that the consolidators and the big money forces behind MHI seem to benefit at the expense of white hat independents or untold totals but large numbers of consumers?
See the related reports to learn more.
To discern the agendas, one must look at the claims, and check them against other known facts and patterns. Then, there has to be an examination of the money trail, with the simple question. Who benefits?
There is always more to read and more to come. Stay tuned with the runaway number one source for authentic “News through the lens of manufactured homes and factory-built housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)
By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
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.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
Related References:
The text/image boxes below are linked to other reports, which can be accessed by clicking on them.
“What is Wrong is That We Do Not Ask What is Right;” Sunday Weekly Headlines Review
