At the heart of America's affordable housing crisis is a complex web of power, policy, and profit that has marginalized the average citizen's ability to access one of life's most fundamental needs: shelter. This is no random accident or unforeseeable consequence, but the result of a deliberate confluence of decisions, interests, and entities.

 

Central to the crisis is the overwhelming influence of a few national builders. These builders, propelled by their special interest group status, have not only significantly influenced policies but have also managed to bottleneck the very definition of what is considered 'viable shelter'. Their influence has witnessed the quality of homes nosedive, even as their prices shot through the roof. Such monopolization has further led to the imposition of a myriad of regulations by municipalities. These regulations, many of which border on the unreasonable, have made it almost impossible for the average American to construct their own homes, without the intermediary of a contractor.

 

But it's not just the builders. The lumber industry, too, stands as a formidable special interest group. Most homes in the country are constructed from wood, a material notorious for its susceptibility to rot, mold, pests, and fire. This near-universal dependency on wood has not only endangered the quality of homes but has also made them vulnerable to various environmental factors. However, any shift to alternative materials has been fiercely resisted by the wood industry lobby, even when such materials promise superior quality and durability.

 

Even if one manages to navigate the labyrinth of building regulations and challenges posed by the lumber industry, there's the formidable roadblock of financing and insurance. The FED's decision to maintain historically low interest rates, while initially seeming beneficial, spawned an artificial demand, creating a scenario where high interest rates are now levied on inflated property prices. The resultant cocktail is toxic: properties that are out of reach for the average buyer.

 

Further complicating matters, banks and insurance companies remain hesitant to venture into uncharted territory, even if it promises better outcomes. Their reticence to embrace or even support alternative building materials, citing a lack of 'statistical data', effectively renders loans or homeowner insurance a distant dream for many potential homebuyers.

 

If these weren't challenges enough, government regulations, which account for almost a quarter of the cost of a home, investment giants buying up large portions of available homes, and the burgeoning influence of Homeowner Associations (HOAs) have exacerbated the situation. The recent approval of 40-year mortgages by the government, a move meant to counter rampant inflation, only further entrenches the problem, making genuine homeownership an elusive dream for many.

 

Lastly, there's the undeniable strain posed by the current housing shortage, aggravated by unsustainable border policies. By some estimates, America currently falls short by a staggering 4-7 million homes.

 

The current state of the housing landscape is an affront to the very principles of diversity and individuality that America stands for. A nation of diverse individuals is now increasingly faced with cookie-cutter homes, in neighborhoods that eerily mirror each other, all while a select few wield an inordinate amount of power, shaping policies and pocketing profits. The dream of homeownership is now a distant mirage for many, obscured by layers of challenges and compounded by entities that prioritize profit over people.

 

Food and housing should be an inalienable right, but they are not, we have to ask the government for permission to sustain and shelter ourselves. This is fundamentally wrong! 100 years ago everyone built their own homes with no local or federal interference and those homes are still standing today, unlike many that were built in the past few decades.