With major decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in the news this past week on the ‘controversial’ American topics of guns and abortion, it would be understandable if thousands of manufactured housing professionals were looking at or pondering topics seemingly not directly connected with our profession. Additionally, it is summertime. Vacations and various distractions abound. Furthermore, political topics are grabbing headlines as the nation heads toward the midterm elections. Even normally left-leaning media are having to report on trends that spell trouble for one major party that happens to be in power which currently favor the party who’s president was ‘ousted’ in a hotly disputed 2020 election. The numbers of topics meriting attention every day of the week are many. This Sunday recap will only mention those for now, because each has a lesson for white hat manufactured housing professionals. Black and gray hat industry pros should be focusing too. All that said, this article will now segue into two pending exclusive reports and on others about manufactured housing specific issues that are pulling mainstream media notice into the world of manufactured homes. That and more will follow below.
The popular and influential financial news and views site, the Motley Fool, published a recent report citing Dave Ramsey. Ramsey, as millions know, is the widely held and well known speaker, talk radio, and author who gives often sound financial advice. Ramsey has also worked his way into the pews of several Christian churches with his financial teachings. Like him or not, agree with some all or none of what he share, Ramsey should not be ignored when his advice on manufactured housing periodically arises, is routinely a de facto put down, plus he is arguably demonstrably wrong. A report on that is coming soon, so watch for it.
There are new efforts to limit manufactured housing at the local level underway too. Keep your eyes open for that one, because it has, is, or will impact a town near yours. Stay tuned.
Then there is a proverbial locomotive heading toward our industry’s entry level housing production. Barring the unforeseen, that big issue will be featured in our next emailed headlines news update which will go out Monday 6.27.2022. Don’t miss it.
As a school-age youth, this writer sat in a train with family members when the locomotive struck a compact Ford. Pieces and parts from that shattered vehicle where strewn for blocks. It took some time to clear the tracks of the occupant, car, broken glass, and parts before the train proceeded. It was an ugly and soberingly memorable sight. Let’s not let something similar happen to the entry level HUD Code manufactured home production of our industry when it is entirely avoidable. So again, don’t miss the upcoming report.
Why are those issues and other troubling ones about resident relations and more so downplayed, misrepresented, or entirely ignored by other industry publications and bloggers? As troubling, why are such vexing subjects similarly mishandled by the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), which boldly claims to represent “all segments” of the manufactured housing industry? Seriously? Why aren’t they directly and forcefully facing these issues? Why aren’t they getting to the root issues that has kept our industry at less than 1/3rd of its last high-water mark in 1998, instead of posturing and preening about how wonderful they are and how much access they enjoy to high level public figures?
“Facts are stubborn things,” said Mark Weiss, J.D., President and CEO of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR). Weiss told MHProNews he learned that lesson from a professor in law school. MHARR, unlike MHI, is a production focused trade group. MHI is both a production and post-production trade association. That means they claim to be an ‘umbrella’ association that ‘protects’ and serves all. MHI is several times the size of MHARR. Why is it that the industry has to learn about some of its biggest problems from MHARR?
Facts and evidence are preached by Weiss’ longtime associate Danny Ghorbani too.
Ghorbani has been involved in this industry for about 5 decades. He became a RV MH Hall of Fame Inductee before industry politics seemingly completely took over that organization. Having served for years at MHI and having seen the heyday of the Louisville Show when it attracted an international audience during his service to that event, Ghorbani’s insights noted in a report below have been one of the ‘read hot’ headlines for the week that was.
But there have been other reports, analysis, and commentaries that have been very attracting big numbers. See all of those below.
This weekly recap has long been a popular feature with MHPros. Several of the subjects that follow have been grabbing manufactured housing professionals attention; yes even in summertime and with other big national news items as ‘competition.’
Surprisingly perhaps, the Thursday emailed news update for MHProNews has – per third-party MailChimp data – been the number 1 most opened for all of year-to-date 2022. Perhaps it is because we bring the news, topics, expert analysis and commentary that wanna-be rivals won’t or don’t dare cover?
See what’s red hot in the links and headlines recap that follows. As many readers know, we resumed Tim Connor’s posts to give a bright spot to every week, something thoughtful and uplifting in what might otherwise be troubling headlines. That said, don’t miss him, the other articles and reports for the week, plus the sneak peek into what’s coming in today’s postscript. Because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
With no further adieu, next up are the headlines that grabbed tens of thousands of eyes like yours for hundreds of thousands of pageviews during the week that was from June 19 to June 26, 2022.
What’s News on the Masthead
What’s New on MHLivingNews
What’s the Latest from Washington, D.C. from MHARR
“The ‘Woke’ War On Affordable Housing” MHARR – Issues and Perspectives, by Mark Weiss
What’s New and Recent on the Words of Wisdom from Best-Selling Author Tim Connor, CSP
What’s New on the Daily Business News on MHProNews
Saturday 6.25.2022
Friday 6.24.2022
Thursday 6.23.2022
Wednesday 6.22.2022
Tuesday 6.21.2022
Monday 6.20.2022
Sunday 6.19.2022
Postscript
Editorially speaking, maturity, understanding, and wisdom can come in fits and starts. This writer disagreed with Warren Buffett’s politics, but for a time was an admirer of his business results. That is one of several editorial views that has evolved over the year, based in good measure from input from readers plus more research and study.
Even our publication’s original name and the website’s format have changed and evolved over time here on what’s now known as MHProNews.
But what has never wavered is our absolute belief in the value and potential for HUD Code manufactured homes. Having spent decades in the trenches of our industry, this writer is not just a fellow behind a desk blathering on about something he knows about only academically. That’s not a knock on academics, reporters, or opinion writers who may have little to some direct experiences in our profession. There can be value to outsiders looking in insights. But there is certainly value to those insiders who have walked the gravel, been in the factories, collected on back payments, met with residents angry to happy, and has met with attorneys and public officials on issues of importance in MHVille.
The case has and can and should be made anew that manufactured housing is dramatically underperforming. That’s obviously bad news for some. But it is apparently acceptable or even designed and desired by others who operate in MHVille. Accidents can and do occur. Why that Ford was on the tracks when that train hit, God only knows. But whatever the cause, the outcome was ugly. Reality can suck.
But unlike accidents, typically when widespread issues occur and are sustained over a period of years, that doesn’t happen unless some specific interests desire it so. Who says? How about once well-known Democratic Senator William Proxmire (WI-D)? Back in his day, Proxmire became well known for what he called the Golden Fleece awards. There have always been Democrats and Republicans – plus independents and members of minor parties too – that drew attention to problematic issues that needed attention.
Proxmire and other voices that called for reform turned to media to carry their messages to the public.
Between now and shortly after the fast-approaching 4th of July holiday, watch THIS INDUSTRY LEADING Trade MEDIA for several reports that will be problem and solution oriented. Those reports will likely ruffle some feathers in MHVille. But they are necessary precisely because the industry is underperforming. They are necessary precisely because the case continues to be made that MHI is not doing its blankety-blank job properly!
During an affordable housing crisis, our industry should be soaring. The fact that it is not roaring is no accident.
Editorially speaking, the two ‘biggest’ headline cases last week, on abortion and gun rights, hold tremendous lessons for the white hats of our industry.
Those two big cases SCOTUS (the Supreme Court of the United States) ruled on also hold lessons for the black and gray hats of our profession too. Some battles take time. But when people of good will never give up and never give in, the victory they seek can be won.
We’ll strive to dig into one or both of those for powerful lessons our industry can learn from, along with the other more directly important subjects to MHVille previously mentioned herein.
After over a dozen years of publishing MHProNews, and approaching a decade of publishing MHLivingNews, we are just getting warmed up. We’ve produced a body of evidence that has stood the test of time. Stay tuned to your runaway number one source for manufactured home “Industry News, Tips, and Views” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © We are thrilled to report that all segments of the industry (literally, not just some hot air claim) are reading here by the thousands day by day. Friends, foes, and those in between are routinely among our readers. That’s apparently so because we present facts, evidence, common sense, and expert analysis that is found nowhere else in our profession. That every month in 2022 thus far has broken well beyond a million page views monthly is apparently due to that effort to get the facts and evidence out there where readers like you can muse and ponder what that means to you. No one else in our industry’s trade media and bloggers can say that they have anything like a similar level of engagement without crossing their fingers behind their backs. Readers like you have made and kept us as the Big Number 1.
Thank you to our sponsors, the sources for our insider tips, our free emailed news updates subscribers and all other readers like you for making and keeping us the biggest and most-read publication in MHVille. We strive to keep and increase your confidence by serving in the best tradition of honorable pro-industry, pro-consumer, and yet journalistically authentic publishing. The truth, like it or not, matters. Therefore, evidence of what is true vs. what is agenda-driven BS, spin, or simply mistaken matters too. ##
Again, our thanks to free email subscribers and readers you, our tipsters/sources, and sponsors and God for making and keeping us 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.
