It seems the housing market is destined to be the target of yet another administration’s clumsy tinkering. In another quiet-part-out-loud incident at the White House recently, the president was asked whether he would declare a national emergency in order to act on housing affordability. Trump responded that he doesn’t want house prices to go down because home valuations are such a large part of the “net worth” of homeowners, especially those in “their later years.” The exchange is worth watching. Note the collectivist premises underlying both the reporter’s question and the president’s answer