Many of my friends look at me as if I just lost my mind - "but, but... low interest rates are good for everybody, right?".

It is an uphill battle, but I keep at it :-)

My impression is that mortgage rates tend to track the 10 year bond rate, given most people refi/sell before then. These and long term rates have been on a multi-decade decline. I'm not sure how much influence recent policy has had.