Master of the House

Master of the house
Keeper of the zoo
Ready to relieve 'em
Of a sou or two
Watering the wine
Making up the weight
Pickin' up their knick-knacks
When they can't see straight
Everybody loves a landlord
Everybody's buxom friend
I do whatever pleases
Jesus! Won't I bleed 'em in the end!

* * *
Residents are more than welcome
Bridal suite is occupied
Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side!
Charge 'em for the lice
Extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice
Here a little slice
There a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases
All those bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!

-- Les Miserables, the Musical

Northwest Florida state senator Charlie Clary once again is bravely taking up the cudgels for the rich and privileged against the poor and powerless.

Now, he's sponsoring new legislation that would allow residential landlords to stick a "liquidated damages" clause into residential lease contracts -- even the pre-printed kind that are never really 'negotiated' but wind up being signed, unread, by people who live paycheck to paycheck. The result would be that tenants who leave before the term is up would be liable for at least two months' rent even if the landlord lost no money because another tenant moved in.

Under current law, a landlord has the right to claim any loss of rent when a tenant terminates early. But he can't sue for money when he hasn't lost anything. If a tenant leaves early and the landlord loses nothing, no lawsuit. Everybody goes their own way.

Under Clary's bill, however, landlords could sue for at least two months' rent even though they haven't lost a cent.

The first trouble with Clary's proposal is it will adversely affect mostly low- and moderate-income people who have a hard enough time as it is finding decent and affordable housing in Florida's over-heated rental market. The second problem is it gives landlords a windfall when they haven't suffered any loss. None. Nada.

You'd think a good "Christian" "tort reform" advocate like Charlie Clary would want to eliminate wasteful and expensive lawsuits where no one has suffered any loss, instead of encouraging them.

Jesus! How his hypocrisy persists!