In her essay, “How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society,” Ayn Rand wrote:
“The precept: “Judge not, that ye be not judged” . . . is an abdication of moral responsibility: it is a moral blank check one gives to others in exchange for a moral blank check one expects for oneself.
A growing number of housing advocates are demanding that renters be given a moral blank check. They want to prohibit landlords from considering an applicant’s past history regarding criminal convictions and evictions. Such laws have been passed in Montgomery County in Maryland, Seattle, Newark, and Washington, D.C. Other jurisdictions are considering similar laws.
When a landlord rents housing, he is allowing a stranger to stay in his property. He wants some assurance that the tenant will pay the rent and take reasonable care of the property. And one of the best ways to do this is by judging the applicant’s past actions.
Some housing advocates want to make this illegal by prohibiting landlords from considering evictions or certain crimes when screening a tenant. Others want to expunge evictions from court records—i.e., pretend that the eviction never occurred. In either case, the landlord is denied useful information regarding an applicant’s character.
In making it illegal for landlords to judge a renter’s past actions, these types of laws grant tenants a moral blank check. Not only can they not be judged, they will not be held accountable for their actions. But actions do have consequences, and if the guilty are absolved of responsibility, then the innocent will pay. Those with criminal convictions or evictions on their record will benefit, while those who have a history of better decision making will suffer.
A landlord must make a judgment when selecting a tenant. When landlords are prohibited from using the most important and relevant facts in making that judgment, many will turn to unimportant and irrelevant facts, such as skin color, mode of transportation, or visible tattoos.
Judging others is inescapable. When landlords are prohibited by law from using rational criteria to make judgments, criminals and angels will be treated alike.
Martin Luther King said we should judge people by their character, not their skin color. Now we have arrived at the point where it is becoming illegal to judge people by their character and mandatory to judge people by their color.
Sadly, you are correct.