Take your housing complaints to the president

Got a beef about housing prices, loan mods, jobs or otherwise? The White House is standing by to field your comments .

The White House is inviting you to post your questions on the economy and vote on submissions from others. The President will answer some of the most popular in an online town hall on Thursday.

Those of you who would like to let us know what you sent can post it here too. Thanks to commenter NoHoDolphin, who alerted L.A. Land on another thread.

-- Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Photo: President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting  March 18 at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[fezco]

Submitted:

Since 2001 there have been many Americans who have been locked out of homeownership due to a bubble created by loose lending. Now that prices have started to fall within reason, why does government insist on propping it up?"

[NoHoDolphin]

thanks Lauren. My first draft was about 100,000 characters longer before I knew there was a limit:

"What about the financially responsible American’s that want to purchase a home but b/c the Gov continues to prop up overinflated prices, they are still unaffordable? We also want the American dream, Sir we’ve worked, saved and deserve it"

[Nick]

Submitted:

"Why does the federal government seem intent on reflating the credit bubble at any cost, when that makes housing, education, and other vital items unaffordable for most Americans? Isn't that at odds with what the people want?"

[Nick]

The things that bug me about a lot of the questions are when the question is very vague, easily dodged or responded to with a standard vague campaign pitch, or when the submitter is just asking for a specific government handout. I mean, I wouldn't expect a general cross-section of the country to not have a large amount of questions in those three categories, but it makes it far too easy to cherry pick a few questions which could be bullet-point headers for Obama's agenda items, regurgitate a few minutes of meaningless campaign rhetoric, and claim to be "communicating with the people".

I was tempted to fit something like this into their intentionally very small character limit:

"It seems like this administration is pushing to introduce new mechanisms for normal people to communicate with the president, yet almost all of the questions are ignored, the questions which are 'answered' are usually just used as segues into meaningless campaign rhetoric, and the president and Congress consistently act against the people's interests. Won't this eventually be counter-productive, as people realize that not only is this president equally inaccessible as previous administrations, but he obviously is pursuing his personal agenda without regard to, or to the detriment of, the well-being of the country in general?"

[RZ]

Thanks Lauren and NoHoDolphin.

I'm a little concerned that most of the questions seem to be about the legalization of marijuana, job outsourcing, and gun rights. There seem to be very few, if any, questions about housing, home prices, or anything related.

I posted these two questions:

"There are many folks who've saved for retirement, didn't overspend, didn't buy a home during the bubble, but now have to stand by and watch as irresponsible companies and people get bailed out. How will these responsible individuals be rewarded?"

(This next one if paraphrased since I forgot to copy it). House prices are still too high in many cities and many responsible savers have not been able to afford a home. The $8,000 credit is not enough. Yet there seems to be a focus on keeping home values up. How will you help these responsible savers afford a home?

[fezco]

Nick, Lauren,
Just reading all of the other questions submitted to the White House, I got the feeling that most of them are the 'woe is me, I am underwater on my house and don't know what to do' and the ... 'please force the bank to deal with me.' As of late, downtrodden, I have begun to suspect that the gov't will only listen to 'landholders' and that includes underwater mortgage debtors.

This goes back to the inception of our democracy where only 'landowners' were allowed to vote. Of course our gov't is catering to non-renters, their say might be much less. Anyone know what the voting turnout percentages are 'renter' VS 'landholder?'

[dacolan]

Submitted:

"When did toxic assets become legacy assets? How are responsible taxpayers to trust in leadership which uses disingenuous words tantamount to criminal misrepresentation? Where were private investors before the free $, I mean non-recourse tax $ loans?"

signed, Losing Faith

[RZ]

Well, I watched it this morning and was disappointed. There were very few questions asked in all, and only one having to do with housing.

[Rosemarie]

I do not approve of the programs that Obama has implemented. It is very costly and I feel it is a socialistic approach. I have looked up the definition of republican and democrat. Everything that the democrats stand for is related to individuals losing their rights and more cost to the people. A redistribution of wealth, what happen to working and achieving those results on your own. The government of the democrats raise taxes in hidden agendas.
I do not like his medical plan. Everytime a news media talks about Americans not having coverage the number changes. I believe that Obama blatently lies to the public and no one questions him. the media lets him get away with things that no other politician has gotten away with. Reduce medicare fraud why was not this done year before? Instead of developing a new medical coverage plan fix the ones that are in practice today. I believe that insurance companies have to much say in our care but I certainly do not want the government to run my health insurance. It will create shortages, long waiting to be seen by a DR. and avoidance of certain tests. I have seen what the government has done through the years and I am not pleased. I will not be voting democratic in the upcoming local elections nor in the next presidential vote. Government is to corrupt and i believe the democratic party is worse then the republicans, although the philosphy of the repbublican party is what i believe in. I am not wealthy by any means but what I have is mine and I earned it. The democratic government can not take it and redistribute it. Your socialistic approach deters innovation and stagnation.

[Gwen]

The Victorville and Adelanto area of the Inland Empire is illegally increasing housing wars, by accepting 10 to 20 offers and allowing real estate companies and investors to buy up majority of the homes in hopes of holding them until the real estate go up again. Even the Hud homes are snatched up by real estate agents/companies. You don't need 10-20 offers for one house. Even new homes were snatched by investors and on the market for resale by real estate agents in Victorville. The Inland Empire is still projecting the greed mentality of getting buyers to hike up prices, when people are still losing jobs and homes. Homebuying is not where it need to be, and a long way from where it use to be. Only somebody need to let the real estate agents in Victorville and Adelanto know. There should be a law to regulate this type of practice.