You're the one who missed the point.
Landlords and the system that treats housing as a profitable investment is the cause of high costs of living. This happens everywhere in the US. Cities where people want to live in the reddest of the red states have the exact same cost of living problems. Its a fundamental problem that is inherent to for-profit real estate.
Neither party wants to dismantle that system. Your solution is not a solution. High cost of living cannot be solved by switching to the other current political party.
From my reading on the subject, vintage corningware baking dishes have high levels lead in the glazes used for the colored patterning. They seem to consistently test negative for lead on the white surfaces used for cooking.
Lead can get into your food as those colored patterns wear off, and the dishes get washed. It is a danger, but corningware isn't directly marinating your food with lead.
Lead is still in many kitchen products. Its mainly in paints and colored glazes, and other coatings. Though corningware is bad, there are many other sources of lead in many other parts of the kitchen.