The biggest problem with the Internet is that people believe that everything they read on the Internet is true. And I totally agree with you Wizard that there are too many news media sources that biasedly and unfactually report the news. The American public suffers from Information Overload; the bigger problem is the average American can't decipher fact from fiction.
Housing is a huge issue. Densified housing using "Smart Growth" techniques works in some places for a certain type of person. However, the "American Dream" to own a single family home in the suburbs is still a huge reality. However, defaults and foreclosures on single family dwelling units are skyrocketing now. We all know a lot of people that got in over their heads and can barely make their mortgage payments. And because the economy is in the craphouse thanks to our President, many of these people are losing or have lost their jobs and then obviously can't make their mortgage payments. When they try to sell their homes, the value has gone down so much that many of them will take big losses.