If you build them, they may not come

The Commerce Department reported today that sales of new single-family homes dropped by 5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.233 million units last month. That was the slowest pace since January 2005 and left the number of unsold homes at a record high of 528,000. Analysts viewed the new data as further evidence that the nation's red-hot housing market, which hit record sales levels for five straight years, has definitely started to cool. I'm not sure it's the housing market itself that is the culprit. It may be a case of consumer "cold feet" as families are not willing to commit to change in their lives when they are uncertain that the federal government, with its domestic scandals and mismanagement of foreign affairs, offers them any promise of stability. Your comment?