Solve 2 big problems: House prices and unemployment: Freeze building and visas.

[jazzjunkysue]

Just don't grant any more licences or visas until we're using up our current house stock, or, add a HUGE tax for new building that goes directly to the recovery fund.

And the visas will solve themselves: There is education available for anything in america. People will retrain if they know there's a job.

What am I missing?

[LeftyMom]

1. Where the F are they building more houses?

Around here there are a lot of half-completed subdivisions that don't look like they'll be completed anytime soon, but I haven't seen any new residential construction started in probably a year.

[jazzjunkysue]

2. They tore down one across the street from me to put up 2.

So far, it has not had many visits and no bites. So they haven't started the second one.

They should have left the one, older but nice house there, and just sold it as is.

Now, I have an eyesore across the street from me and an empty construction lot.

There are always builders who don't know how to do anything else, like in florida. Florida is awash with half finished developments, while the older communities like St. Petersberg are all up for sale and deteriorating.

Stop the builders and eventually, we'll sell what we've already got on the market.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

3. so...all those people employed in construction?

just put those people out of work...yep, that takes care of unemployment...makes ton more...

sP

[jazzjunkysue]

6. That's the problem: We don't make anything else. We need Obama's green

revolution to start making things here, again.

[Two Americas]

4. immigrants create jobs

They don't take them away. Human beings are an asset, not a liability - the most valuable asset of any.

New houses are built for people to make money, not to house people. That is the problem. People need homes. That takes precedence over the desire for people to profiteer on the "housing market." Housing, food, health care and workers are not "markets" and should not be subject to a "free market" approach if we are going to have a decent and civilized society.

So long as profiteering is seen as "growth" and the source of wealth, while human beings are seen as an expense or a drain or a liability, there will be problems. Since only 12% of the people support the first approach, the public overwhelmingly supports placing people over profits and labor over capital. We are the ones frustrating the public will on that when we buy into and disseminate the "free market" and "growth" libertarian ideas, and when we see people as the problem, be they immigrants or whatever.

The economy exists to serve people, not the other way around.

[undeterred]

5. House next door is unsold for a year and a half.

People do not have the money to go back to school, and some people who borrow graduate and cannot pay back their loans because the high paying jobs they have been promised don't exist, especially in the technical fields. You need experience to get those jobs.