On May 13, 2013 in San Francisco at the Fairmont Hotel, The Commonwealth Club hosted Barney Frank, Former Member of Congress (D-MA). He discussed his years in Congress with Scott Shafer of KQED. He is unhappy with the unwillingness of Republicans to work with Democrats that led to the financial crisis in 2008. In light of the mortgage meltdown, he thinks it is important to develop affordable housing. Not everyone needs to own a home, but they should at least have reasonable rents. As many people discovered during the Great Recession, a mortgage is basically renting a house from a bank. Unless you have a thirty year job to pay for that thirty year mortgage, it is going to be a risky wager. He also talked about the growing support for gay marriage and life after politics with his husband in Maine.

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