Time for a guessing game. Guess who fashioned this quote of the week:

“Each week that goes by, another 15,000 workers are losing their jobs and 47,000 families are entering foreclosure. Home equity has fallen by $879 billion during the past year alone,” said Mystery Man X. “How many more Americans have to suffer before Congress will act?"

Al Sharpton? Ralph Nader? The American Association of People with Large Car Payments who Can't Afford their Mortgages?

It's Jerry Howard, head of the National Association of Home Builders. He and other fair weather free marketers are begging Congress and the president to pass a new tax credit for home buyers.

We've said it here before: The government already is a well oiled goody dispenser. Think federally supported home loans, the mortgage interest tax deduction or Florida's homestead exemption.

Howard was reacting to a June survey of his membership that showed business confidence matching a 23-year low.

I sympathize with the plight of businesses suffering through the downturn, newspapers included. But builders are already doing the right thing to right the market: They've cut prices and idled the bulldozers. The market must purge itself of the glut of unsold homes.

How does encouraging people to build NEW homes - apparently Howard's intention - do anything to reduce supply? 

Here's the full press release