Investors routinely say that they prefer “certainty.” That’s true for investors in manufactured home communities, stocks, or businesses.
The growing economic confidence during the year following the 2016 election witnessed a well-reported rise in stocks. That was fueled in part by regulatory rollbacks – the “certainty” caused by an easing of business conditions imposed by the federal government.
The run-up and final passage in late 2017 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act fueled more investor enthusiasm. Again, ‘certainty’ – plus higher returns on investments – were part of the motivating factors for those who don’t want excessive risk for their capital.
But in the last two months, Wall Street’s equity markets have become choppier.
Among the reasons?
Less certainty over issues like Federal Reserve policies. In the last few weeks anxieties over the looming issue of the Trump Administration’s tough talk on tariffs have emerged.
The headline for this Daily Business News report is an interesting, because there are “two Warrens” that have impacted manufactured housing, and business in general America.
Both Warrens are Democrats.
One is Warren Buffett, and the other is Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Both Warrens are waging wars.
But one Warren has in a sense declared war on the other one.
Strange Bedfellows, and the Upcoming 2018 Midterm Elections
“Politics makes for strange bedfellows,” said Charles Dudley Warner, per Brainy Quotes. It means “Political interests can bring together people who otherwise have little in common,” says Dictionary.
Elizabeth Warren and President Donald J. Trump can fall into that category, with each trading public barbs on the other. Yet, on the issue of concerns over monopolistic practices, the two may be become de facto political allies. Both are and have been expressing concerns over monopolies, and how they those monopolies harm competition in the marketplace, the economy, and ultimately, job losses, and wages.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Warren Buffett both supported Secretary Hillary Clinton for president in 2016. In 2020, sources say that the Massachusetts Democrat may be among several hopefuls for her party’s nomination to oppose presumptive GOP favorite, POTUS 45 Trump.
Senator Warren has been an outspoken supporter of the Dodd-Frank legislation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that bill created under President Barack Obama. She supported Richard Cordray’s handling of the CFPB.
While it reportedly makes Berkshire Hathaway’s 21st Mortgage Corporation President Tim Williams unhappy to have it mentioned, Warren Buffett strongly supported both candidate Barack Obama in each of his presidential election bids, and he backed Secretary Clinton too.
Among the reasons cited by Mr. Buffett? His support for Clinton’s position on the CFPB and Dodd-Frank.
The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) is championing the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act (H.R.1699, S. 1751) legislation to repeal parts of Dodd-Frank harmful to manufactured home lending, retailers, and selling land-lease communities (a.k.a. ‘parks’).
MHI must ignore the logical disconnect between their then chairman Williams blasting “the progressive agenda,” and Buffett’s very public support for Obama-Clinton support for Dodd-Frank.
The graphic above “Threats and Challenges” is from a power point presented by Williams to MHI members. It was provided to MHProNews by a source with ties to 21st and MHI. Again, note the obvious contradictions?
Is Williams seriously opposed to his boss Buffett?
After all, Buffett says he supports progressive causes, and Democratic candidates.
Or is it, as industry insiders say, a form of shadow boxing – political play-acting – made to appear like an effort to help retailers and communities is underway? When in fact Berkshire Hathaway’s chairman openly supported Clinton’s support, which included her support for Dodd-Frank?
The contradictions are too great to ignore. Nor will MHI, or the Berkshire Hathaway brands in manufactured housing explain it, as repeated opportunities to do so have been offered by MHProNews.
Some Things Defy Logic…
“Clinton Delivers Dodd–Frank Defense to Wall Street. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett will fundraise with Hillary Clinton,” reported Bloomberg in December 2015.
Yet just days before, Secretary Clinton wrote in a New York Times op-ed that, “As president, I would not only veto any legislation that would weaken financial reform, but I would also fight for tough new rules, stronger enforcement and more accountability that go well beyond Dodd-Frank.”
Why did Wall Street and Buffett support Clinton? Because the big banks have grown under Dodd-Frank, as even Senator Warren admits.
It’s the smaller banks and lending institutions that have suffered.
If it seems confusing, it is simple once one thinks as Warren Buffett does – long-term, and per the thesis of the Nation’s recent series on monopolies – in terms of crushing the competition.
How handy is it from Mr. Buffett when the federal regulators – in this case, the CFPB – are the ones doing the crushing for the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway?
The Masthead
The written word, or the spoken word has its limits. Words can be misunderstood. Duly Warned What follows is a reminder that we gave MH Industry readers a fair warning just days ago as to what was about to happen on S. 2155.
Warren vs. Warren, Strange Bedfellows, and Manufactured Housing
Sen. Warren opposes S 2155, which is currently the hot topic for MHI on Capital Hill. She opposes Preserving Access too. MHI’s prior chairman has reportedly given Democrat Sherrod Brown campaign contributions. Interesting, because Brown has also come out against S. 2155, as the Daily Business News recently reported.
Brown and former MHI Chair Nathan Smith, of SSK Communities, are said to be chummy. Cincinnati reported that Smith’s cell had Sen Brown’s personal number, and Open Secrets also reported his support for Democratic candidates, including Barack Obama and Secretary Clinton.
Senators Warren and Brown have both blasted S 2155.
Senator Warren has also stated her concerns over monopolistic practices and how that hurts the economy, workers and smaller business. Warren’s House colleagues have specifically called out Warren Buffett on Preserving Access and the troubling business practices.
An Elizabeth Warren video is predominately promoted by Americans for Financial Reform, which boasts 50 organizations opposing Preserving Access, with several manufactured home owner groups named among them.
Perhaps it is that strong opposition that has been factored in by GovTrack and Skopos Labs, which give S. 1751 only a 3 percent chance of passage in the Senate.
Following the Money, and MHI Disconnects
The rather public disconnects between MHI’s stated positions and what key people at or behind MHI has been reported more widely in the past eighteen months on the Daily Business News.
MHI has literally written checks to candidates who support or even co-sponsored Dodd-Frank and the Safe Act. Berkshire’s Buffett, former MHI Chairman Nathan Smith of SSK communities and others supported Secretary Clinton, who opposed Dodd-Frank changes.
As MHI asks the rank and file of the industry to support this or that cause, bill, or candidate, each industry member may be tempted to give the benefit of the doubt to the national association.
As one community-retail operation president told MHProNews, most people are too busy trying do their day-by-day operations to pay much attention to what may look complex. So, they often work on trust, and that is an advantage that Warren Buffett and others apparently count on (see the resource links, after this article for quotes and more details).
So perhaps not enough industry pros are looking at the actual track record of MHI?
Because bills MHI claim to support, or positions they advocated for, have often proven to enrich or benefit a few, while harming or cutting off opportunities for the many.
Discovering that MHI track record of legislative failures doesn’t take much research. Preserving Access is just one example of the disconnects between what MHI claims to want to do, and what leaders like Buffett, Smith and others actually are doing.
It’s like supporting politicos with donations that have taken positions that the association claims to be against. See the above.
While other’s in America are concerned about monopolies and how they harm different industries, by contrast, MHI prefers to deny it.
Warren’s War on Monopolies, Like Buffett’s
“Senator Warren’s theme that antitrust can be used to protect small businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators, workers and just about everyone else from the ‘rich and powerful,’” averred the National Law Review, “shows that increasing antitrust enforcement has become a key party line for the upcoming” midterms, said the right-of-center New American.
“I was very pleased that the entire Democratic caucus signed onto a statement of principle that urged stronger enforcement of antitrust laws as one of our promises to the American people.” Elizabeth Warren, The Nation.
“In recent years,” according to the Democratic “Better Deal” platform, “antitrust regulators have been unable or unwilling to pursue complaints about anticompetitive conduct.”
“It was a rare rebuke to Obama’s record, reflecting a shift in Democratic thinking on monopolization,” says the Nation, which cited Presidents Obama and Bush 43 as both being weak on antitrust (anti-monopoly) enforcement actions.
“I believe in markets,” Senator Warren said. “But markets work only when everyone gets a fair opportunity to compete.”
“Just look at the numbers:
- Four airlines control over 80 percent of domestic airline seats.
- Five health-insurance giants control over 80 percent of the health-insurance market.
- Three drugstore chains have 99 percent of the industry’s revenues.
- Four companies control over 85 percent of America’s beef market.
- Two giants sell over 70 percent of all beer in America.
That’s a big problem. It’s a problem because, when a few big players control an entire industry, it has devastating impacts on both the economy and our political system,” Senator Warren said.
Left, right, or center, those facts are hard to argue.
She didn’t say so, but using MHI’s own data:Warren Wages War, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Manufactured Housing Institute, MHI, Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, VMF, Nathan Smith, SSK Communities, prior, former, MHI Chairman,
- 3 companies control some 70 percent of manufactured housing.
- If the Skyline – Champion deal goes through as expected, that will become some 75 percent market concentration in 3 companies.
Isn’t that the same pattern Senator Warren and others are expressing concerns about?
“But it’s not just small-business owners who are forced to play a rigged game. When big companies control concentrated industries, as Bryce Covert makes clear in “Monopolies Harm Workers Too,” they can pay their employees less, because there aren’t other businesses around to make better offers,” said an editorial in the Nation, which cited Warren Buffett and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and others among the new breed of modern monopolists they are concerned about.
“The big fight now is to make the Justice Department and the [Federal Trade Commission] and other agencies use the tools they already have to protect competition. I’ll give you three steps that the federal government can take to revive competition: Block anticompetitive mergers; stop anticompetitive conduct; and prioritize protecting competition,” Senator Warren said.
Progressive “Nation” Reports on Monopolies Cites Buffett, Clayton, Others – MH Industry Impact?
Summing Up…
Senator Warren has declared war on those who are monopolists and who support changes to Dodd-Frank. She has also prepared for battle on S 2155, or any other attempts to roll back Dodd-Frank.
Warren Buffett has, per the Nation, declared a different kind of war to take dominate certain sectors, and that includes manufactured housing. “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning,” said Warren Buffett, per Good Reads.
Kevin Clayton, Warren Buffett’s CEO over Clayton Homes jokes about Buffett’s hating two kinds of competition, foreign and domestic.
The Atlantic predicted years ago what has been coming to pass in terms of Clayton/Berkshire dominance over manufactured housing. Clayton freely says in the video linked among the resources below that Buffett wants the moat expanded. Clayton said Buffett is willing to lose money (they haven’t, but would he said) for 5 years, so long as the moat kept expanding.
Isn’t that a classic anti-competition statement? One Kevin Clayton made on camera, in a video?
The logic of this is simple, once you understand the Buffet/Clayton/MHI moat concepts.
So long as competition is being harmed, passing Preserving Access or not means little to Warren Buffett/Berkshire/Clayton; so long as the moat is growing.
MHI has been dominated for years by Clayton dues, and Berkshire Hathaway brands holding 2 of the 4 key board positions on their executive committee.
That’s also obvious from quotes above about Buffett’s support of Secretary Clinton and President Obama, not to mention the linked information below.
Eric Belsky at Harvard believed manufactured housing could dominate home building by the end of 2010; but what he apparently didn’t count on was Buffett and their “Moat,” and how those sharks in the water work.
So, what is Preserving Access all about? Insider sources say, it is a distraction. It postures an effort, which win, lose or draw, benefits Berkshire Hathaway’s ‘the moat’ strategy.
There are reasons why a number of state associations quit MHI.
Others that haven’t quit are sticking in, some sources have told MHProNews, because of the power of 21st over independents (see report, linked below).
21st sources have told MHProNews, that they do business with those guys (Rolfe’s RV Horizons, MHU et al), and late last year, Rolfe announced he would not comment any more on such industry issues.
But if Rolfe never said another word, or if he completely shifted his tune, what he’s already said about MHI, their failure to defend the industry from outside attacks, and their doomed to ail Preserving Access plan were and are devastating. What more needs be said?
Independents, Defense and Offense
There are perhaps steps that could be taken by individual retailers and communities. It could logicaly start with something as easy as no longer supporting MHI.
But survival strategies must begin with an understanding and acceptance of the painful reality that the industry’s largest association – MHI – is, as the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) said, working for the interests of a few conglomerates.
Independents, small to mid-sized players take note. Once mighty Fleetwood retail finally failed, about the time that 21st sent out their ‘smoking gun’ letters (see resources, below). The Fleetwood of today, and the Champion of today are rebirths of once giant companies that were bankrupted by forces that arguably included the Berkshire Hathaway onslaught.
With Buffett’s manufactured housing industry connected brands,
- moves on subjects such as DTS,
- their control or influence over much of the lending (21st, Vanderbilt Mortgage (VMF) and Wells Fargo,
- their financial and political clout,
…the threat to independents must be seen as serious.
Even in the stable manufactured home community sector, if capital and lending are cut, the value of properties drops dramatically.
Consolidation has increased, according to MHI’s own data. Forces across the left-right political divide are pointing to monopolistic practices, as key causes.
Will Democrats and some in the GOP, including President Trump and his administration work together to solve the crisis caused by what the Nation has called modern monopolistic forces?
That legal battle is one that manufactured home investors and professionals should consider. Because as this and other analysis have alleged and outlined, whatever happens on Preserving Access or other regulatory forces benefit Buffett’s brands, no matter what happens.
A growing chorus of voices from inside and outside of manufactured housing are saying that smaller businesses, workers, and Americans are paying the price for that kind of market power.
The Warrens have both declared war. Buffett on industry’s he seeks to dominate. Independents, workers and Americans are caught up in the smoke of war, in what Senator Warren, the 45th president, and others have called “a rigged system.” ## (News, analysis, and commentary.)
Related:
Frank Rolfe: Pressured into Silence? Manufactured Housing Industry, and Journalism
Kevin Clayton Interview-Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Clayton Homes CEO
Federal Manufactured Housing Program Review Comments Due Next Week, 2.26.2018
Lawsuits for Triple Damages – Anti-Trust, Anti-Monopoly Law, Manufactured Housing, and You
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