Opinion: San Diego's lower-rent housing plan amounts to taking away property rights

Re “ San Diego ready to jump-start stalled efforts to preserve vulnerable lower-rent housing ” (March 15): By definition, socialism signifies increased governmental control with less personal freedom and individual choice — health care and education are good examples.

This article concerning preserving lower rent units is a classic example of socialism, detailing rental units that are not subsidized but have “lower rents because they are old or in unappealing areas.”

That sounds to me like the free market at work, with supply and demand front and center, but apparently the city of San Diego wants to step in and not only control rents, but even control the sale and development of privately owned property in order to “subsidize high-rises with rent-restricted units on the site.” City officials have even created a new acronym, “NOAH” — “naturally occurring affordable housing.”

I would suggest SOS instead: “socialism on steroids.” As a property owner, I should be free to sell, rent or develop a property in accordance with zoning and applicable laws and restrictions.

Michael Broder

La Mesa

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .