The author has chosen to use a question-answer format in order to make the often complex subject matter, easier and more enjoyable to read. Q and A is not a dialogue bewteen real people -- the author has provided the dialogue for both Q, standing for Quaero, which is Latin means "I search for" and A, Auctor, which in Latin means "person responsible."

Q-To start out, would you mind condensing your views on a couple issues and then you can expand your position during the course of our conversation?

A-Certainly.

Q-First, do you see lack of affordable housing as a problem?

A-The lack of afffordable housing is only a problem if you believe each generation should do as well, if not better than the previous generation and if by "well" you mean home ownership among today's youth should be present in as high if not a higher percentage than yesterday's. By this criteria alone, we have a problem.

Q-What are the main causes of high housing prices?

A-High prices are due to government's inteference in the free market via wrong-headed and excessive restrictions, regulations, mandates and tax manipulations.

Q-What solutions do you favor?

A-The solution lies in removing excessive government regulations, recognizing the tantamount role private property rights play in our society and letting the free market solve the supply and demand imbalance in housing.

Q-I've heard a lot about the decline of home ownership in this country. Is it as a bad as people claim?

A-It depends on what you've heard? Before the second world war less than half the housing units in America were owned by their occupants. Easy homeowner financing and the housing boom which followed the war brought home ownership within reach of more and more Americans and by 1955 fifty-five percent of all households owned their own homes, with that number rising to over sixty-five percent by 1980.

But soaring prices, high interest and a decline in inventory has recently resulted in fewer people participating in the dream of home ownership and owner occupied units had dropped to just under sixty-four percent in 1987 and has failed to come back.

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