mortgage interest deduction
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The Prosperity of the Poor: So Hidden as to be Completely Undetectable
The New York Times Opinionator blog recently posted a fantastic take-down of the “hidden prosperity of the poor” concept: the idea that the relative low cost of consumer goods means that poverty isn’t as hard on people as it used to be. Post author Thomas B. Edsall details both the liberal argument that the hardships of Continue reading
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A call for examination of federal real estate programs
The following is a guest post by Alex Dodds, Online Communications Manager, Smart Growth America. The home mortgage interest deduction turns 100 years old this year. Is it still doing the most it can for American families and taxpayers? Smart Growth America recently examined the federal government’s involvement in the real estate market and its Continue reading
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Is homelessness something we can accept?
You’d have to have a pretty cold heart not to be moved by this story: an empathetic doctor and a homeless inventor partner together to launch the homeless man’s invention, changing both their lives in the process. The story of Mike Williams, who became homeless after a series of financial setbacks, reminds us that as Continue reading
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News Round-Up: Making Housing a Priority
Our first news round-up of 2013 brings you stories of a big push to provide greater funding for affordable housing, and some very real reasons why that housing is so important. First, to reasons: In The Nation we read about the connection between safe, decent housing and educational success. According to the post, “Children who lack Continue reading
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Reforming a Deduction to Provide Homes for the Poor
When the National Low Income Housing Coalition first launched our proposal to fund the building and preservation of affordable housing with the savings from modification of the mortgage interest deduction, there were skeptics who told us the mortgage interest tax break was untouchable. With everything we heard about “sacred cows” and “third rails,” it would Continue reading
On the Home Front 