Just throwing this out, hoping it gets to someone that may find a use for it. (maybe someone on the Hill in the progressive caucus?)
But the ACA just had its what? 33rd repeal vote?
I know Michelle Bachmann, for one, at least, has blamed the economic crisis on the Community Reinvestment Act. (I've also heard it on radio programs over and over again, but can't attach any specific names right now). Anyway, the story goes that the big, bad gub'mint forced poor, powerless bankers into making loans to people that were not qualified and never had any ability to pay up.
The truth is (IIRC), the CRA banned red-lining. Banks were forced to make loans to people that were qualified, regardless of where the house was located. Essentially, what had been happening is that banks were denying loans to people based on race. They didn't want to put brown people in white neighborhoods because they didn't want the value of their other investments in that neighborhood to decrease. (Dontchya know, a black dude moves in next to you, and instantly your property value declines )
Anyway, so far as I know, nobody has ever produced a single banker that has pointed to the CRA, an unqualified loan recipient that defaulted, and nexus between the two such that the banker was innocent. Not one.
Not a single one.
Not one.
But...
Republicans keep telling me that the gub'mint regulations in the CRA crashed the economy. What we need is to get the gub'mint off the backs of the jaahhhhb-kreataahhhs.
So long as it is an article of faith that the CRA caused the greatest loss of wealth in history, why haven't any Republicans offered legislation to repeal it? Why hasn't Boehner brought THAT up for repeal 33 times?