A landlord's history of the Empire State.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom that had once been known as the Empire State. It was given that name because it was born of greatness. The state encompassed forests and fields, farms and factories, commerce and finance. From its earliest beginnings, it was a company town (it was privately owned by a few Dutch in Holland). The making of money was the driving force behind its dynamism and success.

At first Minuets and Stuyvesants led the empire, followed by the Livingstons and Clintons. It was founded as a seaport on the edge of a vast wilderness. Being an ecumenical place, the earl lest records show a "Peter the Italian" being a land-holder in the 1640's, while by the 1630's, Jews are counted among the inhabitants. Immigrants were always welcomed, not out of altruism as much as the need for the steady supply of cheap labor. Even in colonial times, there were large numbers of African-Americans, both free and slave, residing within New York's boundaries.

Martin Van Buren, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt all went from the Governor's house to the White House. A great tradition was ingrained in the rulers of the Empire State of noblesse oblige. Help the poor unfortunates to a better life. It became the standard to be practiced by all.

Commerce and industry left to the markets alone does produce wealth for the owners, but not necessarily adequate living standards for the workers. Much to the credit of the leaders of the empire, they instituted laws that would balance the needs of the working man and woman and those of their bosses. Child labor, minimum wage and unemployment benefits were all to help counteract the power of the capitalist and enhance those of the masses.

Compassion ruled the day. Huey Long of Louisiana may have claimed to be the great populist, but it was F.D.R. that practiced it. So when did the great beneficence of the empire turn from even-handed protection to one of outright hatred of those people making a dollar? Hatred so entrenched that it becomes dangerous for even the smallest investor to buy a piece of real estate?

For years, some members of the judiciary have looked at owners of real property as slightly better than rapists or child molesters. In some circles of the empire, to be called a Landlord is worse than to be called a criminal. But for the most part, that epithet was reserved for those who actually were in the scurrilous business of owning multiple dwellings. Well, we now have "zero tolerance" on the owning of even one rental property.

Judge Finklestein, a Housing Court judge, has decreed that even if you own one unit in a co-op as an investor, your tenant needs from you. You have become a LANDLORD! A landlord is a horrible predators who feeds on the needs of others. You are someone so powerful that the state must protect the public against your dastardly deed of renting out your investment unit.

Rent control, which has been bastardized beyond the original intent of a temporary wartime measure of almost 60 years ago, has now been extended to you. Though our unbiased jurist never said that your tenant was under stabilization, you are not allowed to raise his rent to levels he may deem too high or not to renew his lease. A prohibition by any other name is still...

Sometimes you have to feel like Michael Corleone did in the Godfather III movie, talking about leaving his nefarious past behind when he uttered the line, "Every time I am out, they pull me back in." Our political leaders and courts in the empire will never allow this scourge of rent control to expire. They need a villain in order to mask the other irresponsible policies they follow.

Attention of the citizenry must be diverted from the billions given to big corporations called job development. Banks can charge hundreds of dollars in fees without repercussions. Municipal labor unions are stealing millions from their memberships. But you as the owner of a leased co-op apartment are the person that society must be protected against.

Our empire, like all empires, is crumbling. They fall not from the barbarians at the gates, but by the self-aggrandizement of their citizens. The virtues of Cincinatus are replaced by the vices of Diocletian. Greatness is consumed in the petty tirades of our leaders. Bread and circuses are needed to keep the people engrossed. Owners of real estate are in the arena.