Robot F. Kennedy

In this episode, we explore one of ur-symbols of the American Dream: homeownership. In the United States, home ownership is a symbol of the prosperity Americans are promised. It’s been a status symbol separating the middle classes from the poor for much of American history. Why? And how does one tax policy, the home mortgage interest deduction, play upon our collective dreams of Americanism. In this episode, we talk about vacation homes, reparations, Mark Twain, returns on investments, writing letters to curry favor with racists, and guillotines. This is Robot F. Kennedy. SHOW NOTES Six Policies Economists Love (And Politicians Hate), Planet Money Podcast http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2012/07/19/157047211/six-policies-economists-love-and-politicians-hate Does High Home-Ownership Impair the Labor Market?, Peterson Institute for International Economics https://piie.com/publications/wp/wp13-3.pdf Study: Higher levels of homeownership can kill jobs, Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/w