Congratulations on becoming a homeowner! When my parents married after World War II and started they were poor and could only rent their homes for about 10 years. During that time my father was able save enough money to buy a lot and in his spare time build a starter home in northern California. During the following 15 years he made home improvements. When I was a junior in college he sold the home and he and my mother moved to Oregon, bought another lot and built a nicer home.

People in my generation could afford to purchase a nice home immediately after graduation from college and gaining good employment. Especially if they (like me) had attended a state college requiring no tuition. While I think that homes owned by those living in them are normally better maintained that rented homes I disagree that the mortgage interest should be tax deductible. Why should I be subsidized by other taxpayers to go into debt?

College students in your generation frequently graduate with substantial student loans unless they have received financial assistance from their parents or a scholarship. It is difficult to save for a down payment and then pay a mortgage while paying off a large student loan. While I think the general public benefits from young people obtaining a good education, I oppose the federal government paying for the education. I think that access to education federal grants and federal backed loans reduces competition and results in rapid increases in educational costs. The reduction of education costs should be a state function and not federal. I suspect that the attendance of foreign students in our colleges and universities increases tuition costs.