We asked Paul Solman to weigh in on whether to rent or buy: Since the 70s, it's been a no-brainer. Buy or rent? Buy, of course. You'll be making an investment instead of just paying off some landlord.

The Obama administration's $50 billion effort to plug the nation's home foreclosure crisis has fallen short of expectations and may ultimately prove to "be of questionable value." That's the conclusion of a scathing report released late Tuesday by the…