Daily Digest – February 19: Can Housing Reform Turn Back the Clock?

Set the Wayback Machine for Housing Finance Reform, But to When? (CLS Blue Sky Blog)

Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Brad Miller lays out the history of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to argue for a stronger government role in creating a safe and affordable mortgage market.

A Labor Dispute Slowed America’s Ports to a Halt. But There’s an Even Bigger Problem. (WaPo)

Lydia DePillis looks at the problems facing West Coast ports that go beyond current labor disputes. Increased traffic through the ports has also slowed everything down.

Fed Officials Sound Cautious Note on Raising Interest Rates (NYT)

Binyamin Appelbaum reports on the notes released from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting, which acknowledge concerns about the fragility of economic growth.

Bernie Sanders, Mulling Presidential Run, Adopts Novel Stance on Deficit (AJAM)

Ned Resnikoff says that Senator Sanders’s discussion of the deficit as an issue that includes unemployment and inequality draws on a less commonly accepted school of economic thought.

The Wrong Way to Revitalize a City (In These Times)

Rachel M. Cohen argues that ALEC’s push against community benefit agreements, which create requirements for publicly-subsidized developers, is the opposite of community-building.

Why Do Americans Feel Entitled to Tell Poor People What to Eat? (The Nation)

Unlike other government programs that people benefit from, like student loans and mortgage deductions, EBT cards are highly visible, creating opportunities for judgment, writes Bryce Covert.