democrats and republican. later, michael reilly talks about cyber security and computer hacking. as always, we will take your calls, and you can join us on facebook and twitter. "washington journal is next. ♪ host: there could be a new democratic candidate entering the 2016 race. "the new york times" reports that advisors for joe biden are talking to potential donors. no formal announcement has been made. tomorrow, the obama administration plans to announce a plan on climate change. the main focus of the plan is coal production. it is august second. in our first 45 minutes, we

want to talk about home and a should -- home ownership in the united states. some economists report lingering effects of the economic crisis. we want to talk about your experience. isn't the same, has that changed? do you rent, do you own? do get assistance for housing? maybe you have another story as well. if you own a home, (202) 748-8000. if you rent, (202) 748-8001. if you get some sort of assistance for housing, (202) 745-8002. if you are in some other category, (202) 748-8003. if you want to let us know about your homeowner experience on social media, @cspanwj is our twitter address. our facebook page, facebook.com/cspan. if you want to send us an e-mail on the topic, do so, journal@c-span.org.

"the wall street journal" has taken a look at homeownership in recent days. they say it is at a 48 year low. it is according to estimates published by the commerce department. it is the lowest rate since 1967. some of the reasons listed are aftereffects of the financial crisis. the story goes on to say that in part, a reflects a positive trend. the number of rental households is growing. that likely reflects the fact that younger people are leaving their parents homes, striking out as renters on their own. total households grew to 117 million, up from 115 million.

the height, 2005, before the financial crisis hit. "the washington post" picks up the story this morning, looking at home sales across the united states. according to them, home sales jumping in recent months, as a booming economy allows people to afford a purchase, but the higher sales has not encourage people to sell their homes leaving supplies tight and driving up prices. the proportion americans owning their own home continues to decline and is now at the lowest level since 1967, as reflected in the previous story. your homeownership experience is something we are interested in hearing from you in the united states depending on your story. again, if you are a homeowner and you want to tell us what is

happening in your community (202) 748-8000, for homeowners. for renters, (202) 748-8001. if you get some sort of subsidized housing and you want to tell us how that is working for you, (202) 745-8002. for all others, (202) 748-8003. you can make your thoughts known on her social media platforms as well. let's start with brian in panama city florida on the line for renters. good morning. tell us what is happening in panama city. caller: good morning, sir. i'm very excited to say that here in panama city, we are very excited that we have a growing market. i'm looking forward to transitioning to becoming a homeowner. because i'm saving and planning and managing my money probably but i'm glad to see the market changing. i have heard from people, from

friends -- we are on the right track. host: what do you pay for bets, if you don't mind sharing that? caller: i'm very fortunate because i live in a very low rate area. i pay $550 per month for 1000 feet. i have friends in manhattan who have to share rent. it is different. it is very different where you live and what you pay. you can't compare. host: as far as your interest in becoming a homeowner, what is the market like? what kind of home are you looking to purchase? what is the pricing you are looking to go into? brian? caller: sorry. i'm watching your show and trying to turn in -- a little time lapse. for me, saving the money to buy a place -- $250,000 is a grand

dream. i can actually look at homes here at the $90,000 level. it would be an appropriate home for a single man. host: that is brian in panama city telling us his story. from massachusetts ray, a homeowner. thank you for calling in. caller: good morning. this area, the greater boston area, downtown boston area surrounding cities is out of control. it is beyond reason. the housing market is exploding. the house i sit in, i could never buy an 100 years if i was looking for a house today. i don't know where they are finding all these people to pay these prices for these homes.

if it doesn't stop, the way it is continuing, there will be no such thing as a middle class within four miles of boston. host: so, the value of your home, you have seen rise over the years? caller: up and down. i've been in this one for 23 years. but, recently, just the prices in the inner city of boston have gone crazy. host: what is a price like? caller: i would say the average condo in boston has gone for $700,000. average three family is north of 600,000. in the inner cities like cambridge and brookline, the average condominium is heading north of $1 million. host: perry is up next in lincoln, alabama. he is a renter. caller: a few years back, i tried to buy a house through one

of those trapped loans that they had. i have five kids and some grandkids. i was going to buy a seven bedroom for 190,000, and i really had to pay back $600 per month. i'm glad i didn't do that because it would have killed me in the long run. i would have been one of those people underwater on the house. thank god a friend of mine saw that i was paying $200 per week in a hotel and he let me rent a room out of his house for $300 per month. the prices are just out of range. i'm planning on retiring in february at 62. social security said they will give me $746 per month.

i can't even rent, help buy food, and take care of the family and. in 2015, where can you rent at that price? in alabama, you can't rent those shotgun houses anymore for $200 or $300 per month. where can you live when the government says they will give you $746 per month? the housing market out here even in alabama, in lincoln, you can't -- i mean, a shotgun house now costs $600 per month. host: you have heard a couple of experiences so far when it comes to home ownership. you can add yours to the mix. (202) 748-8000 fourr homeowners.

for renters, (202) 748-8001. for those an subsidized housing, (202) 745-8002. all others, (202) 748-8003. the caller mentioned "underwater," the second quarter is the second executive quarter of consecutive increase in underwater properties. the number and share of seriously underwater homes pizza in 2012 at 12.8 homes and never presented -- represented about 30% of all homes. that is according to the world property journal.

chris is next from bellevue, washington. caller: hi, there. i've in the suburbs just east of seattle. like the gentelman's comments about boston, it is insane here. it is probably worse than it was before the crash. at least anecdotally, a lot of hours seem to be chinese buyers who pay cash. it is really hard for first-time buyers, who have to get approved for mortgages, and the appraisers have to approve the amount. i have several friends who have been in bidding wars, and then had to jump out because people come in, or they have brokers here, who will come in, and write a check on the spot for the house. it is pretty tough year. host: from murra maurice in akron, ohio.

caller: good morning, sir. i do my home about 12 years ago. i have five children and my wife. we have lived in this thing for a while, but when the economy tanked and the property value went down, our taxes didn't even change. all of a sudden now that the market is going up, we are seeing an increase in our property taxes. i think that is the biggest reason, for me, to not want to buy a house. i'm thinking about getting rid of mine because of the tax burden. the tax burden is way too high. host: if you sold your home would you take a loss? would you make a profit? caller: i would take a loss. the government argues paying taxes is worth it. i say it's not. i say, come and buy it from me. they laugh at me. i think i'm not the only one in the situation. host: i was going to ask if

others are facing the same situation when it comes to homeowner taxes. caller: yes. we have a little development here, about 15 houses, and everybody is underwater. i spend about $350,000 -- spent about $350,000 building my house. my neighbor's is about $600,000. the market flattened it out. it's about units. not even what is in your unit. host: if you watch our "newsmakers" program after this program, our guest is richard shelby the chair of the banking, housing, and urban affairs committee. one of the topics that came up was home ownership, and some of the factors that help people decide whether they will own a home or not. here is some of what he said.

[video clip] , i we thought that people who borrowed money on housing, they should put something down all the housing equity subsidy. one of the problems with the housing crisis, not only one, was nothing down basically. loans and down down payments. look at what we got. i promote homeownership in this country. europe, they don't have homeownership that we had. we are 60%. we were 16% at one time, that is probably pushing the envelope. i would go back to sound banks. if you're going caps on banks you have to have a mortgage system in which people pay in.

host: lets here from jerry and iowa, a renter. hello. thanks for calling. caller: i'm living in a $510 low income housing. it is one of the few. the problem is, being a veteran, we can't pay more than $500-$600 out of a $1200 per month check. our biggest problem is the welfare of people coming in from chicago pushing out locals at horrible rates. the crime has gone up. the quality of light in iowa city, i live at the university of iowa, and it is at the point where it is no longer safe to walk down the streets of iowa city. host: tell us about where you are renting. what is the size? caller: it is two-bedroom -- not

two-bedroom, but to room. i've a little side pocket with a refrigerator and electric stove and a sink with a garbage grinder in it. host: do you keep track of the price of homes in your area? what's it like, if you do? caller: everything is just about brand new. across the street, they pay $5,000 per month for students. host: david from jonesboro, arkansas, a homeowner. caller: i believe within the next 20 years, politicians will change the laws quick enough that we will have flying cars flying robot cars. interstate -- they will combine the google car with drones. when the politicians make laws

that were, you will hop in a car and push a button, and it will take you at a very fast speed out into the country. the price of inner-city real estate will fall drastically. host: up until that time, what is the snapshot picture that you can give us for your area as far as what people are renting or buying? caller: i can't really tell you about that because i have not owned a home for a long time -- i have owned a home for a long time. host: what do you pay? caller: i own it. host: laura, a renter. caller: my biggest concern is that i was married for 20 years, i'm now separated. i am on disability. i have literally live with someone else. i can't afford an apartment big enough for us to live in.

i cannot afford to live. i'm living in a tent, and has been for the summer. i don't know what to do. i have been on the section eight housing waiting list for four years. it is closed off. they say they have cap's. they can help. i'm really concerned. not just for myself, but for other people out there in the same situation. host: that section eight program, is a close because of the money available or because there is no place to rent because of vouchers? caller: no, there are places to rent, they are out of money. host: as far as experience in your, you can share your own. (202) 748-8000 for homeowners. (202) 748-8001 for home renters. (202) 745-8002 for those with subsidized housing. all others, (202) 748-8003.

you can tell us your story about the housing picture in your community. the business section of "the new york times" this morning takes a look at a program to help homeowners. it is the fair game column saying that in 2009, there was a lifeline, one of the obama administration's signature efforts to help hone owners. just six years later a hundred 87,000 borrowers are participating and loan modifications. it appears that the program has allowed big things to run roughshod over borrowers are again and again. instead of helping some 4 million borrowers to get loan modifications, the report noted that banks participating in the program have rejected 4 million borrowers request for help, or

72% of their applications. from the outset, the program had problems. that is gretchen morgan sendsen in "the new york times" this morning. albert in california, he is a homeowner. tell us about your experience. caller: good morning. i live outside the silicon valley in california. i could never possibly move back to that part of california. i'm a single male, and i went to chase, and they are absolutely wonderful to me. i've equity in my home. i've of 4.32 mortgage. it is under $1000 per month for this area, which is great.

my experience with the banks has been absolutely wonderful. i'm not a high income individuals. i have a decent job. a lot of this is just staying on track with finances, going with the program. they put me in an accounting program were have to monitor what i am doing. on my end, i want to give my kudos to chase. host: in the area where you live, for the homes that are available, are there a lot of foreclosures, has that changed? do people own them out right? that hasn't been a lot of sales because of the financial crisis and things like that? caller: yes we went to the crisis a few years ago where -- it wasn't polite but it was at the point where one house was going up -- people were literally walking away from their homes because of lack of

equity on their homes. at 1.i may have been under my home. it has grown. middle-class america still exists if you have a solid job. everyone on my blog has cars, suvs trailers. there is middle-class, by know it is exciting other people. maybe i am blessed, and god leslie but my kudos to chase because i have had no problems. the average home, on middle-class level, is on the 200,000 level -- $200,000 level. there are some gated areas and they are $500,000 and above. host: sam is up next here in washington, d.c. caller: good morning. i own a 40 foot sailboat and it

has been paid for for a long time. my only out-of-pocket expense is $600 per month to rent a space at the marina. i've read my bicycle to work. it is about four miles. i think if people want to live decently, maybe they should start thinking outside the box. host: what convince you to move to the sailboat? caller: it was available. i found a marina nearby here where i could live decently. i haven't lost my door in five years, and i have never had any trouble with someone stealing from me. mostly, i tell you, just last night, i was sitting in the cockpit of my boat, eating dinner, and the moon came up over the river. it was absolutely beautiful. i like nature. i like the keys and ducks, and

the gophers that live in the riverbank bank. it is just an idyllic place. i enjoy every day that i'm here. host: what's it like during the winter months? caller: well, it's cold. i have propane heat. it's just something you have to deal with for about six weeks or two months. springtime comes, and life returns. when it snows, it's nose but it doesn't stick. this is it like living in boston or newfoundland, resulting. the winters here are fairly short and fairly mild. i'm happy where i live. host: bruce is up next from ohio, a homeowner. caller: yes, good morning. host: go ahead, you are on. caller: yes. i live in slovenia ohio, which

is next in toledo, ohio, and walking distance to michigan. my wife and i are x new yorkers -- ex-new york is. we bought our new home for 100 $80,000. it is a great place in value. a lot of times people look at it as quality of life. we are 45 minutes from ann arbor, a great university. we are one hour from detroit's. we are about an hour from cross-country skiing. we have excellent sports teams. i look at my friends in the east coast in boston and you are and my home there would probably be worth $800,000, but the

quality of life is what life is about. i don't know if you have any questions to ask me. host: as far as the others who live around you -- i have been as others about foreclosures and things like that -- what's that like in your area check? caller: our area was hit like other areas in the downturn. the amount of foreclosures is the same as the national statistic, but it really has not hurt us in our area. there are plenty of east coast people who have moved out here because it allows them, because housing is so easy, it allows them to spend their money in other arenas and live a good life. host: bruce and ohio, sharing his experience about homeownership. ashok in connecticut. caller: good morning. host: hello. caller: i live here in

connecticut, but at the same time, i am a homeowner in florida. i bought a foreclosure house in online bidding back in february. right now, it is on brent for a couple of months because i will be moving down, at least for the winter. the last few winters in connecticut have been really bad , and that prompted me to buy something down south. here, in connecticut, property values are still low in some areas, but after the bubble, they have picked back up. i live in a nice two acre land. my kids grew up in this town, a nice suburb, and i stayed here for 15 years on brent.

my rent is $1200 per month. it is a nice three bedroom, nice yard. now, i'm seriously considering permanently relocating to florida. host: how much did you get the place in florida for? caller: i was even looking to buy in florida. connecticut is "ct," so i was searching to stay in connecticut, but the address had "hoct." as in court and address and i realized it was

in connecticut. by the time i was done, i into getting it for 36,000 $500 -- $36,500. with the fee, the closing cost was little short of $37,000. host: we want to continue to hear from you about the housing market in your community. again, the numbers are on the screen. pick the line that best represents you. for homeowners, (202) 748-8000. for renters, (202) 748-8001. if you receive some type of subsidized housing, (202) 745-8002. all others can call (202) 748-8003. it is tomorrow that the obama administration will unveil what is known as the clean power plan. this is the obama mr. shin's efforts to reduce carbon

pollution in the united states. some of the details highlighted in the washington post this morning saying that the rule being released is tougher than the original rule proposed in 2014. the final rule achieves a greater college, according to a summary provided by the administration. moreover, although the final plan has not been released, a fact sheet says that the omissions reduction school will be less reliant on natural gas than the original proposal. it will include a clean energy incentive program. that is in "the washington post" this morning.

also in "the washington post" a follow-up story, particularly on the coal industry, and the reaction to it. it says that on monday, it takes on the coal industry. the reason for the focus on coal is that it remains the largest u.s. producer of greenhouse gases. the united states admitted its own -- submitted its own call to the united nations, valley to reduce by 2025 u.s. greenhouse gas omissions by 26%-20 8% below 2005 levels. if you go to twitter, people sharing their housing experiences. this is meg, saying that homes are getting too expensive to own, we will sell and not by anymore.

cheryl and virginia, a homeowner. how are you? caller: i'm fine, thank you very much. i'm not certain if there have been other callers that are in the same kind of situation where we are kind of in the middle of the baby boomers. what is sort of in the middle. we purchased at the height of the market. we have, of course, college loans. we lost the equity in our home, at least $60,000. the market is recovering a little, but not enough to make up our recovery. we are close to retirement. we don't have a pension. we are both highly educated. people don't hire people over 65 very much nowadays. host: you are outside of richmond, virginia, right?

caller: that's correct, in the suburbs of richmond. as i said, it's not that houses aren't selling. houses are selling, but the problem is when the market plummeted, most of us lost the equity we brought at the height of the market. the recovery is coming back a little, but it won't come back up to the price that we bought our homes t at. we have basically lost all the equity in our homes. if we sell them, we won't get any money. as i just said, a lot of us are in the generation where pensions are god. are no longer companies that offer pensions. some of them had 401(k)s, which are certainly not as good. many of us, such as ourselves have college loans that we are

paying, and will be paying for a long long time. we are in a situation, you know, the housing market has actually damaged us just as much as anything else. also, our neighborhood basically we have noticed a big change of people who were homeowners. we now have a tremendous amount of renters. host: that a cheryl in virginia. your experience may be the same as her. i urge you to continue watching to see if anyone says you experience as well. mark in massachusetts, you have subsidized housing, good morning. caller: good morning. in kingston, massachusetts there is a shortage of housing. i'm pretty sure that is all over the country. there's a lot more people that need housing than what they can get. i would like to say, that woody

guthrie song "this land is your land, this land is my land." politicians use that song and campaigns, but that song is against government ownership of land. the knights of government owns one third of the land in the united states, and is acquiring more each year. everyone has a birthright to own land. bring back the homestead act. it is a human rights issue. it should be on the ballot so people can decide their fate. host: allen, a homeowner. good morning. caller: i am in a very unique situation because i own two homes. i live in maryland and own a home in dc.

the prices are so astronomical at this point, there is no way that you can afford a home unless there are multiple people, or the salaries are so high. it is unique for the middle class to not even be able to own their own home, or they have to combine together just to be able to own a home. for a single person in this area, it is very hard to own their own home. you spoke about the obama plan, where they were supposed to refinance housing, and the banks are running r roughshod. i have tried to refinance my home in maryland several times. what they do is they ask you for of other fees of front, and at the end, they tell you the amount that your house is worth did not meet the loan criteria

and that a job there. they don't give you any other options, except for the option for inspections, and things of that nature. you are actually losing money instead of gaining money. host: allen, do you find that the houses, or at least the market around the washington d.c. metro area is higher than say other areas of united states? i don't know if you keep track of things like that. your experience of housing prices in our area compared to other areas of the united states. caller: yes, they are way higher. i have lived -- i said, i'm in a unique situation because i've lived in several different areas. this area, if you're looking at a standard -- well, let's say the d.c. area, capitol hill. if you live in the area, they have taken single-family homes and make them into three-level apartments.

they are like ro style homes -- row-style homes. they were designed for single families, and now you can have an excess of six people. that drives the price. that is another big problem. investors come in. i had a bidding war with investors trying to buy a property. they come in, and the investors just jot down flat cast. isaac another person was saying in seattle, with the chinese come in and drop cash, whereas you have to get loans to get your property. i had to job out when i was trying to buy my home in maryland years ago. that is one of the problems you see in this area. there are investors and brokers, and they buy up properties that

a middle-class family could come in and buy. there is no way to stop them because the government is a regulating them. host: thank you for your story. a renter from new jersey. hi. caller: good morning. i live in a high-rise here. what i think might have happened if sandy had here in new jersey. the rent in this area is too high for what the people make. it is ridiculous. there's a lot of houses of the rent. there's a lot of houses of herself -- up for sale. host: where you live, do you have some sort of rent control on the place the live? caller: yes. well, they go by your income every year. might have steadily got up, but that's ok. host: she's the development.

"the wall street journal" highlights the rent is eating more income saying that it is going faster in some parts of the united days. while some of the rise is attributable to a boom in the luxury market, cost burdens are spreading around moderately priced and comes. much to their detriment, cost burden households are forced to cut back on food, health care, and other critical experiences. renters on the west coast are feeling some of the greatest pressure. john is up next, a renter. tell us about the housing market in your community. caller: yes. our housing market is astronomical. this is due to the fact that this is a german's vacation spot.

i just wanted to feed off of a caller sentiment -- my parents buy a home for $40,000. the price of homes have got up 400% if you look at it on the grand scale. it coincides with what we are experiencing here. i own a mobile home, by have to pay rent on the land that i have my mobile home on.

we have more of residents that are every day looking for homes. it is so sad because that is all they can afford. $4000. they can't afford rent. it just breaks my heart. i just wish that my parents, and maybe some of the baby boomers would realize that they should have bought a head, thinking of the children. that's all i have to offer. thank you very much. host: national, tennessee denise is a renter their. how are you? caller: i'm doing good. i'm so glad to see this show on tv because you get in a spot in life where you feel like nobody -- like a group of individuals as being ignored and overlooked.

i appreciate you. i want to eat on behalf of asheville. nashville is one of the cities that everybody is moving too. whenever there is a demand, everything goes out. i'm seeing a lot of individuals that -- i considered myself above the top part of poverty. i have a job, i went to college i still have a median income. it is hard because everything is so high. rent is high, homes are high, and when you are single, it's like everything will dollar you make goes right back out. basically, something needs to be done. the middle class is really getting overlooked, and really barely making it. you make too much to get assistance and you don't make enough to do what you need to do in life. host: how much do you pay for rent? caller: average rent, without

being -- i mean, being in a decent community, you are looking at probably between $1300-$8,000 per month. some are much higher than that. that is just average. host: i think denise -- the line got lost. we will hear from one more denise though, in florida, a homeowner. she will be the last caller on this topic. caller: high, and we may get cut off, my battery is low. we buy a home back in 2000. it was a fixer-upper foreclosure. unfortunately, we are on disability now health went south. kids are raised, but we are getting close to retirement age but nothing saved.

are you there? host: i'm here, go ahead. caller: i just wanted to comment about the loan modification programs that obama had a little while back. we benefited from that. we are able to stay in our home now, even though it is still a fixer-upper because we are home for i cannot afford the repairs, but we have been blessed to stay and this home. maybe it is because we saved disability and all. we didn't have any problem. actually, we haven't modified twice because of the health crisis that we were facing. when our mortgage had gotten up well over $1000, and we could not afford that, because that is barely what our income is, they were very gracious. it was not a very hard process. there was