The Housing Edition

On this episode of Slate Money, investigative journalist and Vanity Fair contributing editor Bethany McLean joins host Felix Salmon of Fusion, Cathy O’Neil of mathbabe.org, and Slate’s Moneybox columnist Jordan Weissmann to discuss housing in America. Topics discussed on today’s show include: Bethany's new book, Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants, on the federal government's support of the mortgage market. Should Jordan buy a home? And why anyone would chose to buy instead of rent. The rent is too damn high. Check out other Panoply podcasts at itunes.com/panoply. Slate Money is brought to you by BollandBranch.com, the company that makes luxury bedding affordable. Get the nicest sheets you've ever owned for about half the price of what stores and boutiques are charging. Order right now and they'll give you $50 off a set of sheets, plus free shipping. Go to BollAndBranch.com and use the promo code MONEY.  And by ZipRecruiter. With ZipRecruiter, you can post your job to over 100 job sites with a single click and an interface that's easy to use. Right now, you can try it for free! Go to ZipRecruiter.com/slatemoney. And by Harry's, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and shipping right to your door. Visit Harrys.com for $5 off your first purchase with the promo code MONEY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices