Letters to the Editor
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Such emotions
I always knew people were emotional about their homes, but I'm almost always surprised by how much so. What's really unfounded is the criticism here that The Economist for arguing for the well off. The love of homeownership if anything is a boon for the well off. Between tax breaks and appreciating property values, it's the landed class who benefits. The more that people clamor for home ownership the more the prices go up. This is not to say owning a home doesn't make sense for many people. It does, but we would be all better off looking at it with more objective eyes.
There's no question that the tax break given mortgages is one of the biggest transfers of wealth from the poor to the well off. If any politician had true political courage, this should be one of the first tax breaks to go. If anything home ownership and other property rights are the base of capitalism. I would think that more Salon readers would support criticism of those institutions.
The Economist is also right to point that mobility is key to economics success. This is something many legal and illegal aliens are well aware of.
While I'm a fan of community, I often think the world might be better place if we weren't all so "rooted." Too many conflicts derive with sense attachment to place, justified or not. Look at the Middle East. Besides, I've always felt community is best defined by people rather than a particular house or location. With improving technology, I think we can transcend place.