Jason and James dive deep into the housing affordability crisis and the increasingly absurd solutions being floated by policymakers. From 50-year mortgages to portable loans to $2,000 tariff dividend checks, it seems like we're in the era of "throw it at the wall and see what sticks" economic policy.

Topics Covered

Control R (News Roundup)

• Car repos hit highest levels since 2009 - what it signals about consumer stress

• Portable and assumable mortgages: Fannie/Freddie's new experiment

• The 50-year mortgage proposal and why it might not actually help affordability

• Trump's $2,000 tariff dividend checks (and why Scott Bessent is walking it back)

Alt View (Deep Dive)

• How Blackstone became America's largest single-family landlord

• The real impact of private equity on neighborhoods and rent prices

• 2008 to today: Median home prices doubled ($200k → $420k) while incomes barely budged ($52k → $75k)

• Why extending mortgage terms won't solve the affordability crisis

• Baby boomers holding 42% of primary homes - the inventory crisis nobody talks about

• Potential solutions: Removing capital gains taxes on boomer home sales

Control Panel (Q&A)

• Why tariff dividend checks are a terrible idea (even if we were profitable as a country)
• Where tariff revenue should actually go

Looking Ahead

• Government shutdown impacts on markets

• Michael Burry closes his company

• Is it time to start a business instead of buying one?

Key Quotes

"So 2008 median home price was $200,000. Today, it's $420,000. Holy shit. But don't worry, median household income came right along, right? Nope."

"It's the presidency of throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks."

"We're not a country, we're not a business... Once you taste that money, you're never giving it back."