On a fairly regular basis I (as realtor) receive calls and e-mails and have to show property to individuals who are obviously testers. To those of you who are unfamiliar with real estate - a tester is an individual hired by the government to make sure that Realtors or regular landlords are not discriminating against anyone.
As a humanist and a capitalist I never discriminate against renters on the basis of race or ethnic origin. I have rented to every imaginable ethnic group. The capitalist landlord or realtor recognizes that the only color that matters is the green dollars of good tenant and to discriminate against any groups shrinks your market share. But, never the less, philosophically I am odds with fair housing laws:
1. Freedom of Association is a fundamental right, even if some people exercise it unwisely.
2. To force a landlord to rent their property to someone that is not of their choosing, may offer some positive social outcomes, but it is an example of excessive state intervention that infringes on property rights.
3. Government mandated social engineering versus gradual social evolution based on freedom of association almost always produces unintended negative consequences.
Eliminate state sponsored segregation (which is a grave violation of freedom of association) and allow for gradual, social integration to emerge and communities can remain cohesive, diverse and dynamic.
But, when the state forces rapid, dramatic demographic change, communities disintegrate to the social and economic detriment of minorities and majorities alike. A prime example being the "white flight" that swept Chicago in the 1960's to this very day. The end result being that Chicago was neither more integrated and transformed neighborhoods like Englewood and Auburn-Gresham were as bad, if not worse than the neighborhoods that African-Americans had fled.
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