The Fourth of July is about history, how we got to this point in time, but also about what the future may hold. The fourth is not just about American history, but world history too. The remarks that follow in Part I are from Patrick J. “Pat” Buchanan. Buchanan retired from writing his columns, many of which were de facto lessons in U.S. and World History. Warren Buffett learned decades ago that history is filled with lessons that can be useful in our everyday lives today, including profession or business interests.
As Farnam Street’s blog noted: “Warren Buffett combined the habits of reading and thinking to improve his mind. “That’s how knowledge builds up, like compound interest,” said Warren Buffett.” Left-leaning CNBC, a media outlet that Buffett has addressed several times over the years puts that Buffett quotation somewhat differently. “That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.” Buffett has said he has invested 5 to 6 hours daily just reading for decades. Like Buffett’s business methods and political leanings or not, it appears that reading, thinking, and planning are key parts of the Buffett formula for success.
How these lessons may apply to our nation and manufactured housing will be explored further below.
Note that some of what Buchanan said was prophetic, but some of it may not seem on target…at least, not yet. Historic lesson discernment is arguably both art and science. The column below was published days after the victory of Donald J. Trump (R) over former Secretary of State and ex-U.S. NY Senator Hillary Clinton (D). What was new then may seem old to some, but it may well be new and fresh again.
Some of what Buchanan described, without using the term paltering, is arguably precisely what he attributed to the 44th President of the United States (POTUS). Buchanan described how Obama’s would be successor “ran “an us and a them” campaign…”
Indeed, Obama himself frankly said that there are two distinctive world views competing in America, in the quote previously noted on MHProNews.
While Fox News has been seen by numbers of conservatives since Obama’s remarks to have drifted toward the left post-Trump’s 2020 ‘loss’ to Joe Biden, the thrust of ex-POTUS Obama’s remarks above are still quite true. There are those in America who see things quite in line with whatever the Democratic Party says, while others hold to a somewhat looser coalition that keeps libertarians, Republicans, and some constitutionally conservative independents voting in often different directions.
Part I
From the WND News Center to MHProNews is the following viewpoint from the former presidential adviser, candidate and prolific author, Patrick J. “Pat” Buchanan.
COMMENTARY OPINION NEW WORLD DISORDER
Is Obama’s world a utopian myth?
Pat Buchanan to president: You cannot wish away ‘crude nationalism’
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Publi shed November 17, 2016 at 7:02pm
Speaking in Greece on his valedictory trip to Europe as president, Barack Obama struck a familiar theme: “(W)e are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude form of nationalism, or ethnic identity, or tribalism that is built around an ‘us’ and a ‘them.’ …
“(T)he future of humanity and the future of the world is going to be defined by what we have in common, as opposed to those things that separate us and ultimately lead us into conflict.”
That the world’s great celebrant of “diversity” envisions an even more multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial America and Europe is not news. This dream has animated his presidency.
But in this day of Brexit and President-elect Donald Trump, new questions arise. Is Obama’s vision a utopian myth? Have leaders like him and Angela Merkel lost touch with reality? Are not they the ones who belong to yesterday, not tomorrow?
“Crude nationalism,” as Obama said, did mark that “bloodiest” of centuries, the 20th. But nationalism has also proven to be among mankind’s most powerful, beneficial and enduring forces.
You cannot wish it away. To do that is to deny history, human nature and the transparent evidence of one’s own eyes.
A sense of nationhood – “I am not a Virginian, but an American,” said Patrick Henry – ignited our revolution.
Nationalism tore apart the “evil empire” of Ronald Reagan’s depiction, liberating Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians and Bulgarians, and breaking apart the Soviet Union into 15 nations.
Was that so terrible for mankind?
Nationalism brought down the Berlin Wall and led to reunification of the German people after 45 years of separation and Cold War.
President George H.W. Bush may have railed against “suicidal nationalism” in Kiev in 1991. But Ukrainians ignored him and voted to secede. Now the Russified minorities of the southeast and the Crimea wish to secede from Ukraine and rejoin the Mother Country.
This is the way of the world.
Out of the carcass of Yugoslavia came Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo. As nationalism called into existence Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, it impelled South Ossetians and Abkhazians to secede from Georgia.
Was it not a sense of peoplehood, of nationhood, that drove the Jews to create Israel in 1948, which today insists that it be recognized as “a Jewish State”?
All over the world, regimes are marshaling the mighty force of ethnonationalism to strengthen and sustain themselves.
With economic troubles looming, Xi Jinping is stirring up Chinese nationalism by territorial disputes with neighbors – to hold together a people who have ceased to believe in the secularist faith of Marxism-Leninism.
With communism dead, Vladimir Putin invokes the greatness and glory of the Russian past and seeks to revive the Orthodox faith.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan invokes nationalism, Attaturk, the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic faith of his people, against the Kurds, who dream of a new nation carved out of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
“So my vision … may not always win the day in the short run,” Obama said in Greece, “but I am confident it will win the day in the long run. Because societies which are able to unify ourselves around values and ideals and character and how we treat each other, and cooperation and innovation, ultimately are going to be more successful than societies that don’t.”
What is wrong with this statement?
It is a utilitarian argument that does not touch the heart. It sounds like a commune, a cooperative, a corporation, as much as it does a country. Moreover, not only most of the world, but even the American people seem to be moving the other way.
Indeed, what values and ideals do we Americans hold in common when Obama spoke in Germany of “darker forces” opposing his trade policies, and Hillary Clinton calls Trump supporters “racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, Islamophobic … bigots.”
Did not the Democrats just run “an us and a them” campaign?
Less and less do we Americans seem to be one country and one people. More and more do we seem to be separating along religious, racial, cultural, political, ideological, social and economic lines.
If a more multicultural, multiethnic America produces greater unity and comity, why have American politics become so poisonous?
Trump’s victory is due in part to his stand for securing the U.S. border against foreigners walking in. Merkel is in trouble in Germany because she brought in almost a million Muslim refugees from Syria.
The nationalist parties that have arisen across Europe are propelled by hostility to more immigration from the Third World.
Outside the cosmopolitan elites of Europe and North America, where in the West is the enthusiasm Obama detects for a greater diversity of races, tribes, religions, cultures and beliefs?
“Who owns the future?” is ever the question.
In 2008, Obama talked of Middle Pennsylvanians as poor losers clinging to their Bibles, bigotries and guns as they passed from the scene.
Yet, now, it’s looking like it may be Obama’s world headed for the proverbial ash heap of history.” ##
Part II
7 years after Buchanan typed those remarks, some of it is still quite relevant. Other parts, specifically when it comes to ex-Presidents Obama and Trump, could seem to some to have missed the mark. At this moment, Obama’s post-presidential life has witnessed how he and his wife Michelle’s personal wealth blossom from various corporate contracts, despite the warning from fellow Democratic President Harry Truman. It is deposed President Donald J. Trump that may drift into the “ash heap of history,” given his many legal challenges. But polling reveals Trump’s popularity has surged instead of fallen. Certainly, Trumpism managed to achieve several things in a relatively short span of time, including in the housing and personal earnings sectors. That was achieved despite intense opposition from “Establishment” Democrats and Establishment Republicans too. With Obama’s ex Vice President, Joseph “Lunch Bucket Joe” Biden in the White House, and with Democrats in charge of the U.S. Senate as well as riding high in the saddle of all key Biden regime appointed slots in the federal government, isn’t it the MAGA and Trump people who are on defense? Yes and no.
Politics – like war, business, sporting events or a good chess match – can be fluid situations. We have all seen the underdog team come from behind to rally and win before the time clock ended a sporting event. Despite his legal challenges, which Trump and his allies say are the latest faux effort that they’ve called a ‘witch hunt,’ Trump leads the large and growing GOP (Grand Old Party a.k.a. Republican Party) field of presidential nomination hopefuls. Some of those candidates may be more likely auditioning for a spot as a possible Trump VP (e.g.: Senator Tim Scott (S.C. – R)) or are more intent on hurting Trump than they are in actually believing they can obtain the GOP nomination (e.g.: Chris Christe).
The breathtaking nature of much of mainstream media bias can be found by those who dig deeply enough into the facts. For instance. Joe Biden got far more support from “Wall Street” than did Donald Trump. This flashback graphic was posted by MHProNews on September 25, 2020. The obvious implication is that Wall Street powerhouses, which include some billionaires with ties to manufactured housing, widely favored Biden and the Democrats over Trump and the Republicans.
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That being so, in what sense are Democrats the party of the little guy and minorities, if it is the wealthy, big corporate interests, and their allies that give the most to support Democratic candidates like Obama, Clinton, or Biden? One must recall that Romney was a Republican governor of liberal Massachusetts from the donor class, from private equity. Romney was arguably the next potential Bush style “Establishment” Republican. Romney’s votes against Trump speak volumes. But one point that even some left-leaning media publications have admitted is that Democrats have become the party of the deep pocketed elites. Is it any surprise that during COVID19 and since that the average American household has lost buying power, while the financial elites have become wealthier? See the screen capture below begins to shed light that even left-leaning media has admitted.
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To his credit, then Democratic Majority Whip James Clyburn (SC-D) frankly said pre-2022 election that the multi-decade high spike in inflation was caused by Democratic spending, which he nevertheless defended. The source is an interview with left-leaning MSNBC.
But as the FactCheck.org chart above reveals, it is corporations that have widely benefited from inflation, while everyday working and middle class Americans have taken the financial hit. For the tens of millions who have the gift of memory, is it any wonder that Trump’s popularity is soaring despite all of the legal allegations being leveled against him?
But let’s look back at some more history, which reveals a mixed bag of 2oth and 21st century insights. Because this isn’t a simple case of “Democrats” vs. “Republicans.” It is better understood as a case of corporate interests vs. everyone else. And quick looks at wartime history reveals how the public can be manipulated into thinking something other than what is actually happening or that really occurred.
Quick Historic Snapshots
World War II occurred statistically before almost all of us were born. It was before, during, and after WW II that psychological operations (pay-ops) were conducted by the U.S. government against declared enemies, but also to manipulate the domestic war efforts in our nation and others. What worked decades ago has been developed even further since.
For those who deny the notion that elections can be rigged out of some sense of party loyalty or perhaps a media-conditioned anti-Trump animus, there is considerable history in part of the U.S. of election tampering. A website was established that has thousands of cases election law violations that were successfully prosecuted. Yes, election interference has occurred. Left leaning Wikipedia notes that in the Kennedy-Nixon contest in 1960, Nixon mulled charging his opposition with election cheating (fraud) in a few key states, just enough to give Kennedy the election. Nixon decided, per Wikipedia, that for the good of the nation he would forgo his right to challenge the election. John F Kennedy was sworn into office in part because Nixon wanted to avoid the scandal of a constitutional crisis. Where was money much of the media on this that matter back then? “Before midnight, The New York Times had gone to press with the headline, “Kennedy Elected President”. As the election again became too close to call, Times managing editor Turner Catledge hoped that, as he recalled in his memoirs, “a certain Midwestern mayor would steal enough votes to pull Kennedy through”, thus allowing the Times to avoid the embarrassment of announcing the wrong winner, as the Chicago Tribune had memorably done twelve years earlier in announcing that Thomas E. Dewey had defeated President Harry S. Truman.[69]” said Wikipedia.
Also per Wikipedia: “There were widespread allegations of vote fraud, especially in Texas, where his running mate Lyndon B. Johnson was Senator, and Illinois, home of Mayor Richard Daley‘s powerful Chicago political machine.[72] These two states were important because if Nixon had carried both, he would have earned 270 electoral votes, one more than the 269 needed to win the presidency.”
But it isn’t just elections that can be blurred by misleading information. There are historians who assert with evidence the following about key events in 20th and 21st century U.S. history that also impacted much of world history.
1) There are those who assert that Pearl Harbor could have been avoided, because the Japanese fleet had been detected. If so, what would have happened in World War II? How would President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D) have gotten the Congress to declare war? According to Wikipedia: “The radar had in fact detected the first wave of Japanese Navy aircraft about to launch the attack on Pearl Harbor.” Or according to the National World War II Museum: “Historian Richard B. Frank discusses three major mistakes which denied the fleet at Pearl Harbor time to prepare.” There is much more on this topic, as well as the others that follow. But these quick looks are enough to cause thinking people to wonder about the common narrative about how the U.S. entered World War II and how other events that follow actually transpired.
2) Some historians assert with evidence that the Gulf of Tonkin incident that President Lyndon Banes Johnson (D) used as a pretext to ramp up the Vietnam War was faked. Per Wikipedia: “Originally, US military claims blamed North Vietnam for the confrontation and the ostensible, but in fact imaginary, incident on August 4. Later investigation revealed that the second attack never happened; the American claim is that it was based mostly on erroneously interpreted communications intercepts.”
3) Iraq invaded Kuwait, and George H.W. Bush (R), an ex-Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, might have avoided that was if the U.S. Ambassador had not reportedly green lighted Iraq‘s invasion before it occurred. Iraq’s Saddam Hussein was reportedly a CIA backed strong man in Iraq. The left-leaning New York Times put it like this in a report dated Oct 22, 1992 — “Bush “in effect” or inadvertently gave Saddam Hussein the green light to attack [Kuwait].” Like the current war in Ukraine, a proper handling of the run-up to the war could have averted war altogether.
4) Closer to the memories of the younger people of our times is the U.S. led Invasion of Iraq in 2003. The pretexts used were so called weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), which was pitched to the public and at the United Nations. That came with a tenuous claim about Iraq’s involvement in the 9.11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. Left and right leaning mainstream media carried the water for Bush 43’s invasion, as the award-winning docudrama, Shadows of Liberty outlines among other topics that reflect the influence of corporations on media and politics. Yes, there is good evidence that psy-ops have been used against Americans by elements of ‘our’ government, by duping and/or colluding with mainstream media.
5) President Barack Hussein Obama (D) has been accused, with evidence, of having launched more drone, missile, and arial bombing strikes against more countries than any president since World War II. Yet he was given a Nobel Peace Prize for…what, exactly?
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6) White House occupant Joe Biden said in advance of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that U.S. intelligence agencies had evidence of the then pending attack. The buildup of Russian forces pre-invasion were not hidden from U.S. spy satellites orbiting over the earth. Why didn’t Biden arm the Ukrainians to the teeth before the invasion to deter the Russian attack?
These are just a few examples of how the American public has been routinely misled by public officials to the apparent benefit of corporate interests. Indeed, two presidents from both major parties have said similarly.
Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the military industrial (spy) complex. Similarly, John F. Kennedy (D) threatened to break up the CIA and scatter it to the winds for its role in the US. backed failed and humiliating Bay of Pigs operation. While both of those presidents used the CIA and other military industrial spy complex numbers of times, they nevertheless also mulled out loud trying to limit (or end) their power. What was behind it? Corporate influence. It is a classic case of the need to follow the money trail in order to clearly understand why something does, or doesn’t, happen.
Corporate influence doesn’t just exist in the military industrial spy complex. It exists in the automotive world. The then hit movie Tucker – about the automaker, not Tucker Carlson – is based on a true story. Politicians and public officials controlled by big automotive corporate interests made suppressing their upstart rival Tucker by manipulation of the system possible.
Yes, people go to vote. Yes, most American elections are honest. But there are many examples of manipulating the public exists. Often close behind those various scandals are corporate interests. Cronyism between big business and politics dates back in U.S. history to dark periods like the Tammany Hall system in New York City. The good news is that there are times when such corruption is exposed, and at least for a time, it is tamed. The Gilded Age and Rober Barron era are another such example. The antitrust efforts of that time brought those issues to heel, at least for time. Thus, history has lessons of successes and failures in the battle for the broader public to get their fair shot at the American Dream.
The need for a well-informed electorate has perhaps never been greater than our era. Thus, articles like this one are potentially useful for industry professionals to put a context of our industry’s issues into the bigger picture of what is occurring in the U.S. more broadly.
Corporatism
Near the heart of each of these incidents is what is being called by some “Corporatism.” Corporate power is alive, well, and has thrived during Democratic and Republican administrations. That is not to say that the two major parties are the same, they are not. But it is to say with evidence that corporate influence manages to thrust itself into the politics of each major political parties and minor ones too. Warren Buffett put it bluntly during an interview reported by MHProNews at that time (an interview with CNBC on June 29, 2021).
The view the public gets about COVID19 was formed in good measure by Big Pharma, which pays billions annually to prop up whatever remains of cable news stations and broadcast news. That’s another example of corporatism at work, besides the military industrial spy complex and the automotive industry interests. Those interests are obviously useful to corporations.
In housing, Minneapolis Federal Reserve researchers, including, but not limited to James “Jim” Schmitz Jr., has provided evidence that factory-built housing has been subverted by conventional builders for over eighty years. He has been increasingly referred to in testimony to Congress and in media beyond MHProNews in recent months and years.
Yet the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) has no mention of Schmitz and his research. Schmitz and his colleagues research could be useful to expand manufactured housing. Why is mention of Schmitz missing from MHI and ‘trade media’ that is apparently in bed with MHI?
While much could be said, it could be oversimplified into one word. Corporatism.
This is not to say that all corporations are evil. It is to say that there are decades of facts and evidence that point to an undue influence on American politics and regulations caused by big corporate interests that often represent billionaires like Buffett whose ally and fellow ultra-billionaire Bill Gates described as a man who finds weaknesses in markets in order to exploit them.
Counterweights
That’s part of the reason the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) exists. It is part of the reason that the Job Creators Network (JCN) exists. The excesses of manipulation of our political system is a key reason why the Article V Convention of the States (COS) movement is gaining steam. It is part of the reason why AMAC (Association of Mature American Citizens) exists. While they take no political stands on the historic points raised above, the undue influence of giant corporations behind MHI are most assuredly among the reason that the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) exists. This is a useful place to remind readers that sponsors and advertisers on MHProNews may or may not agree with our editorial content.
Our content is demonstrably not dictated by big corporate interests. Our reporting on troubling issues in manufactured housing demonstrably began while Clayton Homes, 21st, and MHI were sponsors on our site. That means we have proven to have the will and liberty to shine the spotlight on whatever topics are deemed potentially useful, necessary, or important for manufactured housing pros, investors, researchers, and officials to know about.
The U.S.A. is an amazing place with an incredible history. There are opportunities for people here that may arguably surpass much of what was possible in most parts of the world for most of human history. But as the outline above reflects, it is prudent not to exaggerate either for ill or good. As this platform recently informed readers, Investopedia deemed it prudent to inform their readers on the problematic pattern of manipulating facts and reality in a way that can benefit some while harming numbers of smaller investors.
There has long been a tension between BIG (which is not automatically ‘evil’ but is often problematic in fact) and the individual or independent businessperson. That such tensions spill over into political, economic, media, manufactured housing, or other realms is apparent to anyone willing to look carefully with an honest mind at the evidence. That Americans have been hit by a blizzard of paltering, posturing, propaganda, and other problematic and manipulative communications practices can be demonstrated by the reports in the headlines for the week that was that follows. In those reports are numbers of examples that dig deeply into manufactured housing industry challenges and opportunities, past and present. Other aspects of society are found in those reports too.
In the postscript (Part IV) of this report, will be done closing thoughts on fixing what’s gone wrong with the American Dream.
With no further adieu, here are the headlines for the reports in the week that was from 6.25.2023 to 7.2.2023.
Part III
What’s New and Recent on MHLivingNews
What’s New from Washington, D.C. from MHARR
“Draft” Legislation Raises Serious Questions – A Must Read Article
MHARR Washington Update – Fannie, Freddie And DTS Plus Latest Concerns On MHI Energy Litigation
SHOCKING NUMBERS — Manufactured Housing Production Decline Steepens as Industry Impediments Multiply
What’s New and Recent on the Masthead
What’s New on the Daily Business News on MHProNews
Saturday 7.1.2023
Friday June 30.2023
Thursday 6.29.2023
Wednesday 6.28.2023
Tuesday 6.27.2023
Monday 6.26.2023
Sunday 6.25.2023
Part IV (previously the MHProNews Sunday Postscript)
Each of the reports provides insights into notions, some with greater detail like “Four Attorneys” Masthead, the Whistleblowers rewarded, and the commentary on the State of the Nation Housing 2023 review segment point to ways that the current woes that have been documented at limiting our industry could be profitably and honorably corrected.
Positive thinker Zig Ziglar noted the importance of problem understanding and identification as part of problem solving. Zig has died, but another cheerleader for the American Dream – Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki – has arguably become more obviously ‘political’ in recent years. Why? Isn’t it possible that he has seen the threat of corporatism and the manipulation of the American Dream? He may not use the same lingo or examples, but Kiyosaki and his colleagues have been reported on previously in MHProNews at the link below.
The housing system in America is demonstrably rigged. It’s not perfectly rigged, but it is difficult to deny that some try to dominate various aspects of the marketplaces. The latest Harvard JCHS State of the Nation’s Housing 2023 (linked here and above) – coupled with our expert analysis – help make the point. The Modular Home Builders Association (MHBA) arguably exists in part because they do necessarily trust the Systems Builders Council (SBC) wing of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). MHARR exists because they don’t necessarily trust the NAHB either.
Yet who is MHI often bragging that they are ‘partnering’ with? Isn’t it often the NAHB, and other mainstream conventional housing construction associations?
Look anew and with care at MHI’s own claimed history of their association.
Given that history, which includes all of what MHI has posted on their website about their ‘history,’ would it be so surprising if X years from now, if MHI encouraged their members to follow them into joining the NAHB?
Until MHI comes out from behind their defensive positions and publicly debates their own performance, it must be reasonably thought that their leaders know they can’t stand up in public and defend their problematic ‘leadership’ of manufactured housing in the 21st century. MHI has been credibly charged with various forms of cronyism, corruption, and perhaps illegal activities. See the Saturday report again or for the first time and read it with attention to details. Buffett doesn’t skim, nor should we.
We began this column talking about the value of reading. Obviously, some reading can be more beneficial than other. Sacred reading out to be a staple. Society in America was founded on belief in the divine. Not that all of the three dominating world religions are the same, but Christians, Jews, and Muslim teaching warns against deception and labels it as wrong or ‘sinful.’
As corporatism has spread, as the threat of a rising new feudalism grows in America, voices on the left and right are crying out their warnings on some of the same or similar notions outlined in this MHProNews column.
On the political left, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) is now polling around thirty percent among Democrats. That’s about triple what he began at just a few weeks ago. As a disclosure, MHProNews does not endorse all of Kennedy’s views (example: on climate change). That noted, Kennedy has made an evidence based argument that warns specifically against too much corporate influence, the rise of a new feudalism, and what he calls a kleptocracy. Oxford Languages defines a kleptocracy like this: “a society or system ruled by people who use their power to steal their country’s resources.” Hold those thoughts.
Now, flash back to then President Donald J. Trump’s 4th of July speech at Mount Rushmore. In just a few dozen words, Trump summed up key elements of what has been going wrong in the U.S.A. for decades.
On the left (e.g.: among Democrats) and right (e.g.: Republicans) there are clearly voices that have warned about similar things. While their solutions may differ, the notion that they point to similar problems is itself significant.
The founding fathers in America are part of what the Fourth of July celebrates. In time, they established a governmental system that protected individual liberty. Individual rights, the rights of smaller businesses are being crushed in this country. Who says? JCN. Or the NFIB are warning against the increasing imbalance between big corporate influences and the rights of smaller businesses and individuals. Organizations like AMAC, or the Convention of the States (COS). MHARR and MHBA exist because their members believe that MHI or NAHB do not represent their interests. While their movement was arguably hijacked by the inclusion of an ex-MHI VP, the NAMHCO trade group specifically rejected MHI’s track record in launching their new group.
Ironically, because of the magic of paltering and posturing, the Biden White House Fact Sheet points to some of the same concerns raised by voices on the left and right shared herein. While what follows is arguably a case of paltering, posturing, deception and misdirection on full display, this segment nevertheless is largely accurate in the evidence-based points that it makes. It is the policy steps and self-praise that sandwiched these remarks that are problematic. After all, who would believe that Biden would go after his own deep-pocketed supporters?
That lack of competition drives up prices for consumers. As fewer large players have controlled more of the market, mark-ups (charges over cost) have tripled. Families are paying higher prices for necessities—things like prescription drugs, hearing aids, and internet service.
Barriers to competition are also driving down wages for workers. When there are only a few employers in town, workers have less opportunity to bargain for a higher wage and to demand dignity and respect in the workplace. In fact, research shows that industry consolidation is decreasing advertised wages by as much as 17%. Tens of millions of Americans—including those working in construction and retail—are required to sign non-compete agreements as a condition of getting a job, which makes it harder for them to switch to better-paying options.
In total, higher prices and lower wages caused by lack of competition are now estimated to cost the median American household $5,000 per year.
Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation. The rate of new business formation has fallen by almost 50% since the 1970s as large businesses make it harder for Americans with good ideas to break into markets. There are fewer opportunities for existing small and independent businesses to access markets and earn a fair return. Economists find that as competition declines, productivity growth slows, business investment and innovation decline, and income, wealth, and racial inequality widen.
When past presidents faced similar threats from growing corporate power, they took bold action. In the early 1900s, Teddy Roosevelt’s Administration broke up the trusts controlling the economy—Standard Oil, J.P. Morgan’s railroads, and others—giving the little guy a fighting chance. In the late 1930s, FDR’s Administration supercharged antitrust enforcement, increasing more than eightfold the number of cases brought in just two years—enforcement actions that saved consumers billions in today’s dollars and helped unleash decades of sustained, inclusive economic growth. … ##
So, as noted, the slippery deception of paltering and posturing are on full display in the above. It was demonstrably big corporate power which helped put Biden into office. Does any independent minded individual who thinks clearly and rationally think the Biden family business is going to go against the interests of the corporate giants who put them into power?
Once the notions of paltering, posturing, and other forms of manipulation are understood, then it becomes easier to spot examples of psy-ops being used to mislead manufactured housing industry pros, as well as Americans at large.
Some are floating the notion of a Trump-Kennedy ticket. That would arguably be ill advised. The two have significant policy differences. But the two do make several points in common.
Trump was the only U.S. president in decades not to start a new war. He positioned the U.S. to end its long involvement in Middle Eastern wars, which he criticized both Bush and Obama for for years. Trump put policies in place that for a time made the U.S. energy independent. While it is too soon to see how Trump will navigate all of the legal hurdles Biden regime and Democratic and anti-Trump Republicans will throw at him, what is obvious is that big corporations are putting serious money, big tech and big media barriers into efforts that aim to hobble or stop him. Why would that be so, unless those big corporations are fearful that he could break up their rigged system with antitrust, RICO or other actions?
Possible Solutions?
Americans can and should support election reforms that limit and punish election cheating. Voter ID is just one of several commonsense reforms and most Americans support it.
Next, breaking up big corporations via antitrust, RICO, and other legal efforts ought to be a key part of any honest administration’s plan.
The COS plan to reform the arguably corrupt and wasteful federal system is a wise one. Years ago, before advocates for this more clearly spelled out why this makes sense, this writer did not initially embrace those COS proposed reforms. Now, we editorial support a clearly defined call for a convention of the states to fix what’s gone wrong at the federal level.
As the reports linked here, here, here, and here detail, there are steps that manufactured housing pros can and should take to profitably and honorably correct what’s gone wrong in MHVille.
Try to point to some problem that has been fixed by the massive spending of the federal government over the last 60 years. While voting rights and civil rights have been enacted into law, voices on the left and right say zoning and financing blocks equal access to blacks and others. Again, see the Saturday 7.1.2023 report linked here or above.
Manufactured housing can and should play an important role in the future of this nation to restore, realize, and energize an attainable American Dream. Modular and other forms of prefab housing can and do play a role too. While the battles MHARR is fighting must be supported, it is good to look at the larger picture too. If people of good will work to fix whatever has gone wrong in America, it will make manufactured housing’s place more secure in the process. See the linked reports for a deeper understanding of any or all of these issues. Facts, evidence, honest business practices, and a common-sense application of ethical principles could work wonders. ###
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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
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