Another Democrat mess

It’s becoming hard to keep up with all the crises visited upon Americans by the policies of the Democrat Party generally, and the Biden administration in particular. The disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, the economy, inflation, rising crime, high energy costs, the situation at the border, poor educational outcomes, daily gaffes regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict … there are so many crises occurring at once that some of them become easy to overlook.

One of the less attention-getting issues these days — but a serious one nonetheless — is the explosion in housing costs that has dramatically limited Americans’ access to affordable homes.

Writing for CBS News, Khristopher J. Brooks breaks down some of the eye-popping numbers:

“The average price of a home is surging in cities across the U.S., with places like Phoenix, Tampa and Miami seeing an especially sharp jump.

“Home prices in 20 major cities rose 19% in January from a year ago, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index. Residential real estate costs have continued to climb because of a shortage of homes on the market and pent-up demand from buyers as COVID-19 loosens its grip on the U.S.

“Rising home prices and increasing mortgage rates could price millions of Americans out of the market, experts say.”

The phenomenon is a national one, but — as you’ll see by reading the next news item below — it’s taking its toll on Nevadans as well.

Now, to be clear, lots of factors contribute to rising home costs, and this crisis can’t be laid entirely at the feet of Democrat policymakers. But as with so many of the other crises Americans are facing today, those policymakers and their misguided policies have exacerbated the problem. They’ve essentially taken a challenge and turned it into a crisis.

Brooks’ story cites labor shortages, the rising costs of building materials, and impediments to construction as some of the reasons for the current mess. Anyone who’s been following the news lately knows the nexus between Democrat policies and those factors.

But beyond that, Democrats for years have pushed policies — gratuitous subsides, onerous regulations, etc. — that have distorted the housing market and driven costs artificially high. What Americans are experiencing today is a culmination of those long-running policy mistakes, with a series of recent, especially egregious missteps thrown on top and causing the problem to really explode.

The news headlines might not be focusing on this story as much as other crises these days, but it’s one more reason for voters to kick Democrats out on the street this November.

Morning morsels …

THE ECONOMY

Housing affordability woes drop Reno to 20th in Milken Institute best cities list (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette Journal): Two years after being named the fourth-best-performing city in the United States by a key national ranking, Reno slipped for the second year in a row thanks largely to a familiar culprit — housing affordability. Read more >

Biden is to blame for rising gas prices. America needs to expand energy production. (David Bernhardt, USA Today): Gasoline prices had already hit a record high the morning that President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian energy imports on March 8. The last time average gas prices topped $4 a gallon was in 2008, when George W. Bush was president. At that time, the White House worked with the Department of the Interior to expand American energy production. By contrast, the Biden administration has been curbing oil and gas drilling. This means that today’s pain at the pump is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Read more >

CRIME

Rise in car thefts in Southern Nevada continues in 2022 (Glenn Puit, Las Vegas Review-Journal): Stolen vehicle cases in Las Vegas continue to rise in 2022 after a nearly 22 percent jump last year, according to police. In 2021, the number of stolen vehicles reported to the Metropolitan Police Department rose to 8,723 from 7,168 the previous year. As of the second week of March, Metro had a 12 percent increase in stolen vehicle reports compared with the same time last year, Deputy Chief Jim Seebock said. Read more >

EDUCATION

CCSD announces steps to rein in school violence (Hillary Davis, Las Vegas Sun): Physical altercations at school are now more likely to be an expulsion-level offense for students, and the Clark County School District will soon begin making campuses single points of entry in response to this year’s surge in violence, district officials announced Tuesday. Read more >

DeSantis: Democrats Have To Lie Because They Can't Say They're In Favor Of Sexualizing Kindergarten (Tim Haines, Real Clear Politics): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently joined Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to talk about his state’s parental-rights bill. Read more >

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

Biden is living in an alternate reality (New York Post): President Joe Biden doubled down Monday on his “this man cannot remain in power” remark over the weekend about Vladimir Putin, while admitting it’s not US policy, just “more an aspiration than anything.” That is, he’s now claiming that an American president gets to say whatever comes into his head, without consequences. This is, to put it mildly, new. Read more >

NBC Poll: Biden Approval at 'Catastrophic' Low of Presidency, 40 Percent (Eric Mack, Newsmax): With Russia waging war on Ukraine and talking use of tactical nuclear weapons — while inflation rages at home — President Joe Biden's approval rating (40%) has reached a new low in the latest NBC News poll. Read more >

NOTABLE QUOTE

“DeSantis was right and other governors were wrong. We could not hide from COVID. We could not pause living because of COVID. It was freedom he was championing, yes. But it was also life.” ― Karol Markowicz