Donald Trump is not exactly a conservative icon.  He ran for the Reform Party presidential nomination not too long ago; a party with very confused ideals.  He has an odd haircut.  He is very successful.  He marries and divorces "crazy" women.  He is an ultra mega-successful version of someone who hangs out at the Islands Hotel Bar in Newport Beach late on a Friday night.

   But Donald Trump has done something VERY RIGHT.  He has taken on the California Coastal Commission.  The issue?  Having to get approval from the government to display an American flag on private property.

   Trump did southern California a favor by purchasing the moribund Rancho Palos Verdes golf course a few years ago with intention of building it into a national course.  In the process of redevelopment, he decided to erect a 70-foot flagpole and display a large American flag.  The winds offer a great waiving flag, backgrounded by a spectacular view of sea and sky.

   But the local environmentalists complained that the flag "blighted" the ocean views.  After a great debate, the Palos Verdes City Council gave Trump a retroactive approval, by a dividied 3-2 vote, to continue to display the flag.  But they said he also needed to get approval from the California Coastal Commmission.

   In my life, I have had occasion to deal with the California Coastal Commission.   Sending Trump to get approval for an American flag to the California Coastal Commission is the rough equivilent of sending  Czar Nicolas to Leon Trotsky to get approval to fly an Imperial Russian flag at the Winter Palace.  Not going to happen……

   The Coastal Commission responded to Trump’s application to fly the American flag on his property not by deciding the issue, but instead by sending him a bill for $10,000 just to process the application, with no guarantee it will be approved.

   Nobody should have to pay the government anything to fly the American flag on their private property.  In addition, nobody should have to apply to government for that right.  It is a fundamental right, and the Coastal Commission simply cannot declare our flag a blight to the environment.   I would much rather see a beautiful coastline with a waiving American flag than a coastline void of the flag. 

   So, as much as I think you are a jerk, Donald Trump, you have done something very right to resist the Coastal Commission.  Please keep doing so, and conservatives, let us rally around this issue and show the Coastal Commission that they are wrong!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.