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Tag: Housing affordability

A blueprint of contradictions: Weiser courts business while expanding union power
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

A blueprint of contradictions: Weiser courts business while expanding union power

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado “Democrats lay out plan to win supermajority in Colorado Legislature,” reads a recent headline from the left-leaning Colorado Newsline. So how might Governor Phil Weiser interact with the legislature, whether or not Democrats reach their goals for legislative seats? For that we can turn to his 109-page “blueprint.” Unsurprisingly, Weiser wants to be all things to all people. He talks about freedom, prosperity, and a business-friendly environment out of one side of his mouth while promoting tax and spending hikes and tighter regulations out of the other. Housing affordability Unaffordable housing exacerbates various other problems, starting, of course, with homelessness. It makes child care less available and more expensive, b...
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Immigration Reform And Ending War Could Ease Inflation
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The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Immigration Reform And Ending War Could Ease Inflation

By Steve Cortes | Commentary, The Daily Signal Housing affordability is awful, and it looks set to get worse. Unless, of course, we take corrective action, especially on immigration and war. Here’s the harsh current reality: Inflation continues to bedevil far too many Americans. Other than owners of substantial assets, wage earners have struggled in this economy for five years, ever since the profligacy of the COVID-19 panic sent prices surging. Consider the kitchen-table fallout from this inflation. Right now, mortgage rates are rising as U.S. Treasury yields climb. Bond investors worldwide demand higher yields to lend money to America, a country grappling with nearly a staggering $40 trillion in federal debt. Consequently, here is the math with ...
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Polis launches economic council as Colorado businesses warn competitiveness is slipping
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ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis launches economic council as Colorado businesses warn competitiveness is slipping

By Scott K. James | Commentary, ScottKJames.com Gov. Jared Polis has launched an economic council as Colorado businesses cite rising costs, complex rules, and an unforgiving cost of living. The Denver Gazette reports that Gov. Jared Polis has rolled out a new public-private council aimed at improving Colorado’s affordability and economic competitiveness. The council is supposed to study the state’s business climate, benchmark Colorado against competitors, and recommend policy, regulatory, and legislative changes. Very serious people will gather around very serious tables and produce, one assumes, a very serious PDF. The timing is not exactly subtle. Colorado has fallen out of CNBC’s top 10 states for business, business leaders are increasingly pessimistic, and employers ar...
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High Housing Costs Put Colorado Business Growth at Risk
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Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

High Housing Costs Put Colorado Business Growth at Risk

By Sarah Mulholland | CPR News Colorado’s businesses are at risk of losing their competitive edge to companies in other states and it comes down to whether people can afford to live here, according to a report from the Romer Institute of Evidence-based Policy. The reasons behind the state’s economic headwinds are multifaceted, but one thing is clear. The housing crunch is making it harder to recruit workers, the report found. The analysis looks at Colorado’s economy relative to Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington. The states were chosen because they overlap Colorado’s economy based on region or industry, and they compete for talent, investment and business location decisions, according to the Denver-based nonprofit policy group that bears the name ...
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The American Dream is slipping away and socialism is filling the gap
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American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

The American Dream is slipping away and socialism is filling the gap

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Not long ago, the American Dream followed a familiar script. Graduate from school, find a job, buy a modest home, start a family, and gradually build a better life than the generation before you. For many young Americans today, that script increasingly feels like historical fiction. A recent survey from Rasmussen Reports reveals a striking generational divide: younger Americans are far more likely than older voters to view socialism favorably. According to the survey, 44 percent of voters under 40 believe socialism is a better system, compared with only 12 percent of older Americans. Recent election results in New York City confirm Rasmussen’s findings.  For Americans who grew up during the Cold War — or ...
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Federal Reserve Study Connects Illegal Immigration to Housing Affordability Crisis
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Just The News, Approved, National

Federal Reserve Study Connects Illegal Immigration to Housing Affordability Crisis

By: John Solomon | Just the News Paper creates first ever calculation of how a wave of 7 million illegal immigrants from 2021 to 2024 affected local labor and housing markets. Anew Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas working paper estimates the record surge in illegal immigration during the Biden administration boosted employment while causing 30% of home price increases and 20% of rent increases. The paper combined immigration court records with government administrative data to create the first ever calculation of how a wave of 7 million illegal immigrants from 2021 through 2024 affected local labor and housing markets. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT JUST THE NEWS
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New Study Finds Government Regulations Add Nearly $132K to the Cost of New Homes
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Fox 13 News, Approved, National

New Study Finds Government Regulations Add Nearly $132K to the Cost of New Homes

By Bradford Betz | FOX 13 News Government regulations now add roughly $132,000 to the cost of a typical newly built home, according to a new study from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), as industry leaders warn that mounting costs are worsening the nation's housing affordability challenges. The NAHB study found that regulations imposed by federal, state and local governments account for 26.4% of the final price of a new single-family home. Applied to the average sales price of a new home in January, the regulatory burden totals approximately $131,734 per house. The estimate is based on Census Bureau data showing the average sales price of a newly built home sold in January was $499,500. The report comes as housing affordability remains ...
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Colorado Growth Slows as Population Gains Concentrate in Fewer Counties
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Growth Slows as Population Gains Concentrate in Fewer Counties

By Mark Samuelson | The Denver Gazette Population growth in Colorado, which had helped drive the region’s burgeoning economy over recent years, has slowed markedly. In metro Denver, the growth areas are concentrated in only a handful of counties, according to a new report. From 2024 to 2025 the state added just 33,151 residents, marking one of the lowest annual growth cycles it had posted over the past decade, according to a study issued last week by the Greenwood Village-based Common Sense Institute. That recent total shows Colorado’s annual population growth having slipped by some 60% from 2015, a summary of the study concluded. During the span of 2015 to 2016, Colorado saw a population increase of 83,036, the study said. Meanwhile, although recent data show t...
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Polis Pushes Back As Employers Cite Rising Challenges In Colorado Economy
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis Pushes Back As Employers Cite Rising Challenges In Colorado Economy

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics How does Colorado get back to the climate in the early 2000s, when there was collaboration between state government, companies and colleges and universities? That was the question posed to Gov. Jared Polis and a panel convened Tuesday by the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce as part of its annual state of the state luncheon that follows the end of the legislative session. Mowa Haile, the CEO of Sky Blue Builders who chairs the chamber board, noted that, in the last year, the state has gained more than $2 billion in capital investment, along with 1,000 jobs. Colorado is still an amazing state, he said. “But we see cracks,” Haile said. Several issues today make Colorado less competitive for businesses, he said,...
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Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues
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Fox21, Approved, State

Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues

By Carolynn Felling | FOX21 News (COLORADO SPRINGS) — Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser debated in Colorado Springs on Sunday, May 3, outlining their distinct visions for addressing Colorado’s cost-of-living crisis. The two candidates are running for the governor’s office in the upcoming June primary election. Their campaigns show differences in strategies to tackle issues like housing affordability, health care costs, and support for the next generation. Both Sen. Bennet and Attorney General Weiser acknowledge the critical urgency of Colorado’s affordability challenges. However, their proposed solutions present divergent paths for the state’s future. Their debate highlighted a division on how to best move Colorado forward. The debate brought ...
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