I remember, after the sub-prime housing bubble burst in 2007-8 reading articles that sagely, in hindsight, of course, pontificated that some folks would just be better off renting than buying, especially if the only way that buying could make any sense of affordability was through the assumption of yearly value appreciation. The articles would then go on to explain how the entire housing bubble was built on that assumption, which turned out to be a false assumption...and the conclusion was that there may be some value in making sure a potential home buyer had the wherewithal to actually come up with 20% down, (or 10%, or at least SOMETHING) because stuff happens.
Made sense to me.
Then about 3 years later, I'm listening to PBS on the way home from work, and a government official is talking about the need to have low or zero down payment mortgage options, so every American can experience the American Dream of Home Ownership. I nearly wrecked the car I slapped my forehead so hard.