It's an epidemic in our society: A sense of "gimme" instead of gratitude. To whit, the National Association of Home Builders lobbying Congress for a home buyer tax credit.

The national trade group wants a new round of economic stimulus targeted towards...itself. It raises the specter of a Great Depression if Congress fails to act. This from the same folks who slam the media for supposedly talking down the housing industry.

How does this annoy me? Let me count the ways.

The government has helped push down mortgage rates to historic lows. It promotes lending vehicles like the FHA and the VA to subsidize financially strapped buyers. It lets you write off your mortgage interest on your federal taxes. It has all but eliminated income taxes for millions of middle-income families through the $1,000-per-child tax credit.

All of those government goodies reduce the cost of owning a home.  But the association wants more.  I'm all for industries lobbying politicians for redress of grievances. It's in the U.S. Constitution after all. But after you're gobbled four bowls of porridge it's impolitic to demand another helping.

Here's some choice passages from the builders' press release:

With the housing industry facing its greatest crisis since the Great Depression and the economy teetering near recession, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today called on Congress to move quickly to enact a second round of economic stimulus directed squarely at the housing sector. Specifically, NAHB believes the best policy is to create a tax credit for the purchase of a home.

"The biggest bang for the buck most likely would be provided by a temporary home buyer tax credit," NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders told the Senate Finance Committee. "Tax credits for the purchase of a home are a means of eliminating excess inventory, relieving some of the pressure on falling housing prices and ending the waiting-on-the-sideline strategy some potential buyers have adopted in response to overly negative media stories concerning the future of the housing market."

A similar version of a home buyer tax credit was used successfully in the mid-1970s when Congress established a temporary tax credit for the purchase of a newly-constructed home to help clear off a then-record number of unsold homes on the market.