Murphy should protect the landlords the way he protects tenants (Opinion)
It's one thing when the poor position the rich as the bad guy; it's another thing when the rich do it. Singers do it all the time. John Lennon, who sang "Working Class Hero," never had a real job in his life. Neither has Bruce Springsteen, who admitted as much on the Broadway stage. Although neither of us could do what they do as well as they do it.
It's the same thing when politicians do it. The only difference is with the way things are in New Jersey by an inexperienced governor, who has taken control away from the governing body with eternal public health emergencies, we probably, if not definitely, can do it better.
Phil Murphy, like Robin Hood, wants to tax the rich to pay for the poor. The rich are the bad guys. Why should they get all the money? It's the same thing with your landlord if you're renting. If you can't pay your rent, Gov. Murphy has your back with an executive order preventing landlords from evicting you. Who has the landlords back? Especially when the tenants are waving Murphy's order in their faces?
Contrary to what Murphy would have you believe with this order, all landlords are not the guy on the Monopoly cards twirling his mustache waiting to throw people out of their homes. Nor are they all big corporations who see rent as nothing but profit. They are hard-working people just like you who have to work to pay the mortgages, taxes and upkeep on these buildings that they rent.
First of all, I don't believe the governor has any right to prevent landlords from evicting deadbeat tenants. The New Civil Liberties and Alliance agrees with me and they are filing a lawsuit challenging Murphy's executive order.
What right does the governor have to tell landlords what they can do with their properties? We have courts to handle disputes between landlords and tenants. Thanks to Gov. Murphy's executive order, we have tenants collecting unemployment and getting stimulus checks and not paying their rent while the landlord is working to cover the costs of the building. How in the world that is New Jersey is that fair?
If Murphy really wants to help the hard-working people struggling with rent, help the landlords as well. Sign an executive order telling the banks they can't foreclose on their property for nonpayment. Forgive their property taxes until you allow them to collect rent from paying tenants. Give the landlords who provide these tenants with places to live a fighting chance as well. Of course he would never do that, but he should. Why? Because it's the right thing to do under these circumstances.
We have a booming housing market in New Jersey, but landlords can't take advantage of it because they have tenants they can't evict thanks to Gov. Murphy's executive order.
I'm hoping come November the people of New Jersey serve their own eviction notice to Gov. Murphy, giving him 60 days to leave office and get the new guy, whoever that is, a chance to fix all the damage he's done and bring us back to where we're supposed to be. Or at least close.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.