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Welcome to the December MidPoint newsletter. We examine how the Fed’s fight against inflation is eroding the American Dream. Inflation is slowing down charitable giving but accelerating financial stress. Bidenomics is not working for women, and pending Biden regulations will do more damage to working women and small business owners.


Keep reading for the latest economic, labor, and tech analysis from the Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO).

Patrice Onwuka
Director, Center for Economic Opportunity

 TOPLINE

The Math of Homeownership = The Loss of the American Dream

The housing market is on ice. Buyers can’t afford to purchase new homes. Sellers can’t afford to trade up or downgrade from their current homes which would expand the inventory of available homes for purchase. First-time homebuyers are forced to remain renters. This is the outcome of the vexing battle to fight inflation in the short run.

In the long run, the delay of Millennials and Gen Z achieving the generational milestone of homeownership will lead to fewer people believing in and achieving the American Dream.

Disturbing new numbers and trends have emerged about the long-term impact of the fight against inflation. Buying a home today is less affordable than at any time in recent history.

We are fast becoming a nation of renters. Until interest rates fall, these trends are unlikely to reverse and that could lead to long-term impacts for younger Americans. [keep reading]

 REGULATORY WATCH

National Review | The New Car ‘Kill Switch’ Should Have Been Doa

A proposal introduced by Representative Thomas Massie (R., KY.) but voted down 229–201 would have blocked funding for a federal law that requires passenger cars sold in 2026 onward to have “advanced drunk- and impaired-driving prevention technology.” This law typified gross government overreach when it first passed — almost two years ago, when it was sneaked into the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. [keep reading]

 SPOTLIGHT

The Telegraph | ‘Bidenomics’ Is Forcing Women Back Into Work – Whether They Want to or Not

Women should work, especially when it’s necessary to provide for their family, but it’s important not to confuse this with ‘women’s empowerment’ or as a decision reflective of what women prefer. Among college and non-college-educated women, a report by the Institute for Family Studies shows that less than half of mothers say that full-time work is their ideal arrangement. Over 50 percent of women in each category said that part-time or no work at all was ideal. For many, the pandemic provided a rare opportunity to realise this dream. It’s a shame that many seem propelled by inflation and poor economic decision-making to rejoin the workforce, rather than by their own interest and desire to do so. [keep reading]

 ABOVE THE DOTTED LINE

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