in which the band-aid rescue programs are delaying efforts to address the economy's deeper problems.

As Goes Housing, So Goes the Economy

Like unemployment and GDP growth, the housing market seemed to show green shoots in early 2010. Housing starts were up 22 percent from January 2009, and the Internal Revenue Service estimated that 1.4 million taxpayers used the First-Time Homebuyer Credit to buy a new house between February and September of 2009.

But there is still significant rot at the roots. Tom Zimmerman, a managing director at the commercial banking giant UBS, predicts troubles ahead. "The housing market has a lot of wood to chop to get through this cycle," Zimmerman said in October 2009 at an American Enterprise Institute event. "We're not over by any means in terms ofcounter that the trend lines are improving, since the growth in people falling behind on their mortgage was only 7.6 percent from July to September, down from 14 percent in the second quarter. But Wells Fargo's Silvia disagrees. "Delinquencies and foreclosures traditionally lag the economic cycle," he says. "We're likely to see delinquencies continue for the next three to six months. In some areas it might be nine months to a year."

A possible reason for the delayed reaction is the high concentration of delinquencies in a few areas of the country. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as of September 2009, 31 percent of homes in foreclosure are located in five states: California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and New Jersey. This concentration creates massive headaches for