Remember Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac? "You Will Own Nothing" author Carol Roth tells Glenn that the Biden administration is now using them to make sure YOU WILL OWN NOTHING. By encouraging MORE consumer debt spending through second mortgages, they're making Americans feel like they're wealthier. But at the same time, this process reduces Americans' ownership of their homes and practically buys votes before the election, Carol warns. What makes this especially dangerous, though, is that they're doing it during a time of inflation. So, while Americans are owning less and less and feeling "happy" right now, that won't last forever...
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Carol Roth, the author of that book, You Will Own Nothing. Which is ridiculous.
How would you possibly bankrupt people, so they would to have sell everything. Or couldn't afford it. And have it taken away from them.
I mean, you'll own nothing by 2030.
Oh, what a ridiculous idea.
Hello, prophet, Carol Roth. How are you?
CAROL: I thought I was a conspiracy theorist, Glenn. But I'll take prophet/conspiracy theorist.
GLENN: Isn't it amazing, Carol? Every day -- every day I see something -- just McDonald's. You go to McDonald's. This is how you have a country that owns nothing because they no longer can afford to buy anything.
Anything.
CAROL: Yeah. It's so frustrating when I read this in the media. The corporate press, of all sudden waking up and saying things like, oh, fast food and restaurants are more expensive than ever. And people can't afford them.
It's like, wow! That's a giant shock to me, who has been telling you this, for years and years, based on the fiscal and monetary policies of this country.
GLENN: You know what is more frustrating to me?
Is the fact that we know that they're wrong. We've seen that they're wrong. Over and over and over again.
They're lying to us. And saying we're a conspiracy.
And then when it turns out to be right. They announce it's suddenly true and right.
And then people go back to them. For the answer on how to solve it.
It's crazy.
CAROL: Right. It's the arsonists who are burning down your house. And then they bring a water bottle. And say, hey, I'm going to put out the fire. It is frustrating.
And the gaslighting, when we're telling people, what it is that they're going to experience, or what they experience from the Biden administration. From the press. Saying, no, no, no.
You just don't understand. You're just not smart enough. When people are experiencing this every day.
It's just like an extra gut punch.
GLENN: Right. Right. Talk 2078 about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
This was one of the biggest collapses during 2008. But if I'm not mistaken, it wasn't really taken that way, because the federal government.
We the taxpayers foot the bill for that one. So they didn't actually fail.
But they did!
CAROL: So do you remember the scene in -- after Trading Places when Randolph and Mortimer Duke went bankrupt, and then they pop up in Coming to America. And Eddie Murphy hands them this wad of cash. And all of a sudden Randolph says, Mortimer, we're back!
I feel like this is exactly the same thing that's going on with Freddie Mac. And certainly, if it happens with Freddie Mac and it gains acceptance, it's going to happen with Fannie Mae.
So right now, these two government sponsored enterprises, based on what happened with the great recession, and financial crisis. They were put into conservatorships with the FHFA. So they have been watching them. And making sure they don't do anything risky, right?
GLENN: Right.
CAROL: Well, now Freddie Mac had this great idea. Because people have so much equity in their homes. Let us go ahead and offer second mortgages.
Now, you have to remember that these government sponsored enterprises, Freddie Mac and as well as Fannie Mae. The whole point of them is to extend credit, make sure people can get into housing.
But second mortgages don't get you into housing. Those are consumer loans. Those are people taking money out of their homes and using them for whatever it is.
And that equity is perceived equity.
Right?
Because they haven't cashed out the house.
They have been sold the house.
They haven't cashed out. They don't have that guarantee. They just think that today, it happens to be worth this much money.
GLENN: Wait. Let me make a case for this. I did a lot of thinking on this, a couple of years ago.
Some people, that may be good for.
Other people, horrible. Or do you think it's always horrible?
CAROL: Here's what it is. It's taking money out of your home. The equity. The ownership that you have. And you say, no longer do I have this ownership. Now I have the pile of cash. So what are you doing with that cash? Are you using it to reinvest?
Because right now, that's really expensive to do. We're not in a zero interest rate environment. So even if you're paying a second mortgage. Eight or nine, or whatever percentage it is. How will you get a better return on that? That seems to me, that people are taking their wealth. Their ownership. And going and blowing it, spending it.
GLENN: That's what will happen. That's what will happen. I mean, second mortgages, to pay down like a credit card at 25 percent. I would rather pay nine, than 25.
CAROL: Sure. Sure. But rather, we would rather to use other money to pay down 25 percent, than taking down your ownership. So obviously, it is specific to everyone. But overall, I think we have to ask ourselves a few questions here. One, why is it that the taxpayers should all of a sudden back consumer loans?
Why is that as it that we want to encourage more consumer debt spending, particularly during a time of inflation? And why do we want people to reduce the ownership, the equity in their homes?
GLENN: May I guess?
CAROL: Sure. Please do.
GLENN: Because I am a helper.
And if you reelect me. I can help you with all of your troubles. But the other guy, he is not going to help you with that. I will help you get a loan, so you can do the things you need to do. Invest in your business. And pay down your loans. And a lot of people are struggling even to pay for food.
So I will help you.
CAROL: Bing, bing, bing. We have an election around the corner. And obviously, we have seen Biden try to do this cancellation of student loan debt. And that is not working out as well as he hopes, although he keeps pushing it. So now, how do we make people who are maybe struggling financially feel like they're wealthier, feel like they have more cash in their hands?
Oh, we'll let them take this, quote, unquote, equity out of their homes.
Which is buying both. Which is increasing consumer spending. Which pushes up the GDP. Which we know is faltering based on last quarter.
So all these things make him look like the economy is doing better.
By the way, also likely highly inflationary, that we're adding consumer spending.
Into the mix here.
So this is being proposed, by --
GLENN: Hang on just a second. And more inflation, makes it harder for you to buy things, later. You've got now, a second mortgage.
And you're going to be in the same situation you were in, if you spend that money to do anything other than pay off very high interest rates.
You take a loan out, and do anything with it. When the -- because this won't happen until after the election.
I mean, you won't feel the effects.
But I'm telling you, inflation next year is going to be insane.
Do you agree with that?
CAROL: Well, particularly, if these programs that he's pushing, continue.
So if that comes back and says, sorry, we're not going to do this. Which one of the things that is pretty interesting here, and goes back to this election thesis. Normally when you have a rule like this, that pops up. There is a comment period.
That comment period is six to 12 months, depending on the variety of factors. Do you know what the comment variety on this was? Thirty days. Thirty days.
GLENN: Two weeks.
CAROL: Which, again, goes back to saying, there is an urgency, of why it is they're trying to push it through.
Now, I will add something else super fun here.
So if Freddie Mac does this. There's no reason why Fannie Mae is not going to try to do this.
They're under conservatorships, right?
How do they really expand this market.
Right now, it's a decent sized market.
But this could expand, up to, for both of those agencies. Maybe 2 trillion. I've heard maybe four to 5 trillion of leverage capacity.
How do they extend that?
Well, they could then. If the conservators. At the Treasury. Say, okay. You're no longer at conservatorships.
They can go back to securetizing these.
Is it this sound familiar. That means they take a bunch of these secondary mortgages. They package them together, into a new security. And they sell them into the markets.
And these were the same types of securities, if you recall, which started the whole ball rolling, with the great recession, financial crisis.
Nothing to see here, guys. I'm sure this will work out really well. And I'm super excited for taxpayers to back consumer loans.
You're not even backing first mortgages. You're now backing consumer loans. Way to go. Really glad the government wants to get --
GLENN: And, again, it's estimated to be $2 trillion.
However, you and I both know. Uh-huh. It could go as high as $5 trillion.
Don't just think of that as your debt that we need to pay, think of it this way, as well.
That's two to 5 trillion dollars, being dumped into the economy.
What do you think will happen to the value of the dollar, and your buying power.
$5 trillion. Out of thin air.
CAROL: It's insane. And at a time when we have the Federal Reserve, who is frustrated with their fight to -- their attempt to fight inflammation.
And the government continuing to spend like drunken sailors, no disrespect meant to the drunken sailors.
Then you keep having these consumer stimuluses. And this is what happened with the Biden administration when they came out right out of the gate, a few months later, and they did direct consumer stimulus. It's in the name. Stimulus. It stimulates the economy. That is the intention.
And the same thing here. If you take money that is locked up in homes. And all of a sudden, you unlock that. And again, it's theoretical money.
Because if the price of houses end up going down in that area. Then they could end up being underwater and be in real financial trouble.
So this is theoretical dollars that they have, that they're going to take out, and use the dollar to spend in the economy.
It officially inflates the GDP. It makes everything look like the consumer is doing much better. And it absolutely will eat away at your purchasing power.
Devalue your labor. And devalue your wealth.
Once again, it's the same cycle repeating for political purposes.
GLENN: Carol, I would love to have you on, later this week.
Because there's a couple of other things, that are affecting small businesses. And independent workers. Again, so you will own nothing.
But you will be happy, apparently.
