June 11 was a sad day for the people of Salt Lake City. On this day, the City Council legalized the warrantless search of every rental dwelling, thereby extending the already heavy hand of government even further into everyone's lives. No occupant of any rental dwelling will now be secure in the privacy of his home.
Our agenda-driven council ignored overwhelming public opposition to this unconstitutional proposal. Nearly every speaker at the public meetings was opposed; 97 percent of callers registered disapproval. It would seem that the days when elected officials represented the wishes of their constituents are a relic of the distant past.What is even more troubling is the public vilification of landlords by this council. No good cause is served by the wholesale denigration of a group of hard-working, productive, taxpaying citizens. Characterizing them with emotionally charged words such as despicable and deplorable is reprehensible.
One is reminded of the vilification of landlords that occurred as the Bolsheviks were coming to power in Rus-sia or under the Maoists in China, which served as a pretext for depriving them of their property and often of their lives.
While the council has not yet lined Salt Lake landlords up against the wall, it has taken a big step toward the collectivization of private property.
Rainer Huck
Salt Lake City