Dear Readers,
This week’s articles question some of our most familiar assumptions. Together, they explore how those beliefs shape policy—and where they may be leading us astray.
Alongside the launch of our new rent-vs.-buy calculator, Kristian Fors and I explore homeownership and the American dream. For many households, renting and investing may be a more effective path to wealth than buying a home. The truth is, an outsized emphasis on property values—driven in part by the “Homevoter Hypothesis”—can obscure financial realities and unintentionally exacerbate the housing crisis.
Next, Christopher J. Calton provides an examination of how flawed data shapes public policy. He analyzes HUD’s “point-in-time” count, arguing that measuring homelessness in the dead of winter introduces a seasonal bias that distorts national statistics and incentivizes policies that hide the unsheltered rather than help them.
Finally, we present two perspectives on the renewed conversation around Greenland. Scott Beyer traces the history of American territorial expansion, arguing that modern environmental regulations and NIMBYism make an Alaska-style success unlikely today. Complementing this view, Allen Gindler contends that the pursuit of “annexation fantasies” has squandered diplomatic discretion, only to return the U.S. to the same cooperation agreements already in place.
Enjoy.
Jonathan Hofer
Managing Editor
