(V): I wasn't saying they are exactly the same things, but both entail similar risks that can affect prospective homeowners... that much I think we can agree on.

What they do have in common is government involvement in private enterprises and concerns. Some people are concerned about governments encroachment on our private lives and personal business dealings. They see it as the government becoming a nanny state... gradually taking over personal responsibilites to make life easier for us, but at the same time making us more and more dependent on the government. Increased government involvement may be good for government workers (whose salaries are drawn from taxes) but not always so good for the private citizen (who works to pay those taxes).

What you're talking about is government inserting itself into the housing market by offering to underwrite loans. I can see you are okay with that, and your complaint is actually about something else... socially funded housing.