For Greg – My Take On Politics and Real Estate

by Mike Farmer

Real Estate Broker

Author website

The fascination I have for politics is perverse, akin to the irresistible urge some have to watch Jerry Springer or to view the gory details of a hatchet murder. I’m serious about politics but cynicism has kinked my perception of candidates clawing and spinning their way to the top. We all are at fault for making the presidential race a spectator sport, and we are all at fault for allowing our government to become a feeding trough for special interests.

Republicans or Democrats, it seems to make little difference nowadays which pork-maker you choose, except in how it affects our special interests. Gone, it also seems, are the days people chose a president to lead our nation and protect our constitution, to secure our borders, to ensure adequate policing for the safety of citizens and to ensure rational judgment in courts of law. Now we choose according to special interests and how any certain gang in office will legislate to empower our special interest. We’ve become a balkanized nation and government has become the big daddy provider lording over the factions, pulling strings to create a power base. The candidate who can manipulate the most factions wins.

 I have to believe that the loud voices of extremism that have taken over politics  (because fanatics are more active than moderate, more sensible folk) have drowned out voices that are tired of speaking. That’s my take.

However, I think the game still has to be played, because the results of apathy are too serious to ignore. I’m a free-marketer, someone who believes in a limited government bound by the Constitution. I think a government unharnessed has the natural tendency to grab more and more power until it controls everything – that’s the nature of the beast and history has shown this over and over.

What does this have to do with real estate? Well, forget about current campaign issues for a minute and consider the bigger picture of a growing nation that’s evolving in the private sector from centralization to de-centralization – there is a movement from large metropolitan areas, a spreading out that technology has made possible. There is every reason to believe this will continue and that population growth will demand solutions related to real estate. At the same time, government appears to be strengthening centralization. There will be clashes ahead.

 Regulations from city, county, state and federal government regarding zoning and restrictions, wetlands issues, eminent domain issues, etc are going to rise to supreme importance as our population spreads out across the country, and politics will be right in the middle of it. On a micro-scale there will be battles like this. On a macro-scale the battle will be between political beliefs and philosophy –are we a nation that still values freedom, unobtrusive government and local control or a nation of dependents relying on government whim and favors — and the real estate industry will be affected by which beliefs dominate.  I can’t tell anyone what beliefs they should hold when electing representatives and presidents, but I can foresee the importance of regulations on our industry which will touch every other area of our lives depending on the direction we take with our political choices. I stand for freedom of choice with regulations being only those that are absolutely necessary for fairness, not regulations to consolidate government power and create dependency.  Is this special interest? I don’t think so, because I would vote for the above principles even if it hurt a part of our industry protected by government favor – even if it hurt me. But, I believe we will all be helped by freedom, and hurt by government over-reaching, in the large scheme of things, even if the short-term result is not immediately favorable.

The representatives we choose will be more important than the president we choose – hopefully, one day, the presidency will be restored to great leaders, but for now it’s a game of balancing powers.