Gov. Arnold assaults property owners by opposing the great Prop. 98

Not just in California, but in the rest of America and the world, Gov. Arnold has a PR-primed reputation of working for the “people,” as he always says. He’s the “post-partisan” governor who only wants to “terminate” our problems, and supposedly “right-wing” Republicans need to “re-brand” themselves in his image.

It’s all nonsense. Arnold’s political philosophy is: Government of Arnold, by Arnold, for Arnold.

I got in the mail today what’s called a “Slate mailer” for the June 5 election. These are half-sheets of cardboard that urge one to vote a certain way. They look “objective,” but are in fact paid for by special interest groups.

This slate mailer opposes Proposition 98, a crucial reform to protect our property rights by banning government seizure of private property — what’s called “eminent domain” — if the property is given to another private person, such as a developer. (Eminent domain still would be allowed for public purposes, such as building a road or school.)

It also would get rid of rent control, long an insidious way to destroy the housing stock. (If owners can’t raise rents, they let their buildings fall apart, or convert them to another use, thus cutting the housing supply and raising rents.)

A great book describing how abusing eminent domain destroys property rights is “Abuse of Power,” by my former Register colleague Steven Greenhut.

The slate mailer I got is by a group called “Continuing the Republican Revolution,” but isn’t associated with the GOP. It’s also not associated directly with Gov. Arnold. But it boasts that he opposes 98.

It uses the No on 98 slogan, “Stop the Landlords’ Scheme” — that is, their “scheme” to end rent control and restore their own property rights.

The slate mailer shamelessly writes, invoking not only Ronald Reagan but God:

President Ronald Reagan will be forever remembered. His ideals of limited government and personal freedom have been passed on to President Bush and future Republican leaders. God bless him and God bless America.

Reagan, of course, would have supported Prop. 98. But such is the confusion of the Republican Party today under such leftists as Bush and Gov. Arnold that a lot of folks don’t know that.

The anti-Prop. 98 campaign also came up with a gimick: They put on the ballot Prop. 99, which seems to protect property owners, but doesn’t. It’s a fake. If both props get a majority but Prop. 99 gets more votes than Prop. 98, then it will become law and Prop. 98 will become like one of the victims killed in Gov. Arnold’s ultra-violent cartoon movies.

Why Gov. Arnold opposes property rights

So, why does Gov. Arnold oppose Prop. 98? For an answer, we should look to Public Choice Theory. People usually think their public officials are mostly well-meaning, although sometimes misguided. Public Choice Theory, as Wikipedia describes it, is more realistic:

Public choice theory is often referred to when discussing how individual political decision-making results in policy that conflicts with the overall desires of the general public. For example, many special interest and pork barrel projects are not the desire of the overall democracy. However, it makes sense for politicians to support these projects. It may benefit them psychologically as they feel powerful and important. It can also benefit them financially as it may open the door to future wealth as lobbyists (after they retire).

Let’s apply the theory to Arnold. He’s worth more than $100 million and invested most of it in real estate. He’s also friends with other real-estate big shots. What if they want to grab some little guy’s house or small business to put up a shopping mall? Then they can abuse eminent domain to do so. What if it ruins the little guy’s business and life? Tough. He’s just a dumb schlub — who probably even voted for Gov. Arnold. He doesn’t count for the “post-partisan” governor.

Prop. 98 would protect the little guy’s property, forcing Gov. Arnold and his friends to pay the little guy more money — a fair market value — to get his property. The little guy might even be stubborn and just refuse to sell his home or business, no matter what the price. It’s called ownership and freedom.

Prop. 98 is essential to every Californian’s right to own property. So it’s typical that Gov. Arnold, who’s spent his almost 5 years in office doing little but destroy this state, opposes it.

If Gov. Arnold wins and Prop. 98 loses, he’ll be putting California property rights in a coffin and burying them.