Cliven Bundy and Donald Sterling , two bigots, have been big in the news lately.
Bundy, it seems, has been grazing his cattle on my land for generations. None of the news stories mentioned that it was my land, they all referred to it as the government’s land. Sorry, it’s my land and my government has been mismanaging it for years. I’m actively seeking a new agent to manage my land. The current agent does not drill for oil or gas on my land. The current agent does not sell post office buildings sitting on million dollar corners and replace them with offices with cheap leases. The current agent wastes billions every year over-paying for maintenance on the buildings on my land. If I were to turn my land over to a reputable commercial real estate agent I could increase my revenue stream by billions, reduce my maintenance expense by billions, and virtually eliminate the deficit and cut taxes. But, no, idiot politicians who can’t get honest work, manage my land.
How do I feel about old Cliven running his cattle on my land? No problem, just keep the cattle. If Cliven wants the cattle back he can pay me past rent. Not millions, but a fair price based on what other ranchers are paying to get cattle grazing rights. In the grand scheme of land mismanagement by the government, this doesn’t even interest me. Let’s get the big problems fixed then worry about the small ones.
Bundy is a bigot and he’s getting no punishment as I see the end result.
Old Donald, on the other hand ,is losing it all. Without any legal right to do so, the NBA is going to force Mr. Sterling to sell his team. Good for the NBA. Mr. Sterling will make $600 million in capital gains for his sins. He can find another young lady looking for a sugar daddy and buy her some Bentley’s and Porches with his profit. But, he can’t have his little toy, the Clippers anymore. Why do billionaires buy sports teams anyway. To get media attention. Well, old Donald got a lifetime’s worth this week.
Does Donald have Alzheimer’s or Dementia? Probably. Are most billionaires jerks and many bigots? Probably. Does that excuse anything. No.
What lesson do I take from these two examples? The NBA should be managing my land. They make hard decisions, even if they are illegal, and make them stick. My current land manager will let old Cliven run cattle on my land and nothing will change. Even if they trample some rare desert tortoises.
