In the United States today we are the best housed nation in the history of world civilization. This accomplishment was achieved by a private enterprise system using free market concepts.
All of our citizens should be given the opportunity to live in decent, affordable housing.
We believe that we should continue to pursue the primary goal of expanding housing opportunities for all Americans and we should pursue the companion goal of reducing the degree of direct federal involvement in housing.
To most Americans the American dream is a home of their own. The time has come to face some hard realities, primarily that the greatest impediment to decent and affordable housing is inflation. It logically follows that one effective housing program would be simply to elect a Republican Congress which would balance the federal budget.
To meet the housing needs of this country there must be a continuous, stable and adequate flow of funds for the purpose of real estate mortgages at realistic interest rates.
To continue to encourage home ownership, which now encompasses 64 percent of our families, we support the deductibility of interest on home mortgages and property taxes.
We favor the concept of federal revenue sharing and block grants to reduce the excessive burden of the property tax in financing local government.
We are concerned with the excessive reliance of financing welfare and public school costs primarily by the property tax.
We support inflation-impact studies on governmental regulations, which are inflating housing costs.
Current economic problems and environmental concerns must be balanced in each community by a policy of "Sensible Growth."
We oppose discrimination in housing, whether by individuals or by institutional financing policies.
We urge continued incentives to support the development of low and moderate income housing in order to assure the availability of adequate shelter for the less fortunate.
Rehabilitation and preservation of existing housing stock should be given high priority in federal housing policy.
We urge the continuation of the self-help restoration of housing, such as urban homesteading, which is providing housing for low-income families.
Return to 1976 Republican Platform
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