22
Quad Cities Builders & Remodelers Association — Spring 2014
I
f there has ever been a more important time to be a part of a national
association representing the home construction industry, I don't
remember when. Builders, associates, and executive officers came
to Washington, D.C. this week for the annual National Association of
Home Builders Legislative Conference (NAHB Leg Con).
Due to hard times and high prices, participation was down this year but
the builder contingency still managed to visit over 250 of our nation's
congressmen and senators to discuss issues that will make or break new
home ownership for millions of Americans for generations to come.
Issues so important to us just a few years ago seem marginal compared
to some of the issues being considered by Congress and by our federal
regulatory agencies now. Polices to eliminate the mortgage interest
deduction, plus the elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are on
the brink of committee and floor consideration in the next 12 months.
Programs that essentially built the working middle class and home
ownership for the majority of American families are being discarded
by the present administration. And even though our nation's lending
institutions are flush with capital to invest in the American Dream,
banking regulators are maintaining policies born out of the 2008 bank
crash; policies that keep needed funds out of the hands of the many
who would create jobs and build a better America and in the hands of
the politically powerful and economically elite.
America is on a course to replace freedom and our will to succeed with
government that takes our choices, makes our choices, and leaves us
with a lesser way of life. NAHB and Local Associations are working
hard to keep our freedoms in the home building industry affordable
and manageable.
By Bill Ward, HBA State of IL Executive Vice President
NATIONAL NEWS & VIEWS
