There is quite a bit of suspense here at the Columnist’s Corral.
We’re wondering if some leftist California district attorney is going to come after the Reagan family for overvaluing real estate, like New York went after Donald Trump.
What, you ask, could cause that?
Well, when Ronald Reagan’s Belair, California home and his ranch in Santa Barbara county were put on sale after his death the asking price was more than the appraised value.
Why? Because it was Ronald Reagan's home and ranch.
Property owned by a famous person has an intrinsic or notoriety value, if you prefer, that exceeds the strictly bookkeeping valuation of the property.
Just like have Trump’s name on a building in giant gold letters (is there any other color where Trump is concerned?) acts as an enhancement to the bricks and mortar value.
But based on Judge Arthur "My Time in the Spotlight" Engoron’s ruling in the New York Trump real estate case, the Reagans may be on the spot.
We’re wondering if any of these Marxists has ever been to an auction?
At an auction items are given an estimated value by the auction house but many times the final price vastly exceeds the initial valuation.
Does that mean the buyer was cheated? Esteemed Marsupial Court Judge Engoron might think so, but the truth is the value of anything is what someone else will pay for it.
We’ve written about this case before. (Complete details here.)
Before the trial was even held, "Judge Engoron — who, based on his photos, we wouldn’t trust to estimate the value of a ham sandwich — "dissolved Trump’s New York businesses and LLCs."
Because in his expert estimation Trump overvalued the worth of his properties.
And even more remarkable, the judge claims Trump committed fraud.
As legal expert Jonathan Turley observed, "In laying the foundation for his sweeping decision against former President Donald Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron observed that 'this is a venial sin, not a mortal sin.' Yet, at $355 million, one would think that Engoron had found Trump to be the source of Original Sin."
Turley goes on to put the decision and the penalty Engoron levied against Trump — $460 million, including interest — in perspective, "That makes the damages against Trump greater than the gross national product of some countries, including Micronesia.
"Yet the court admitted that not a single dollar was lost by the banks from these dealings. Indeed, witnesses testified that they wanted to do more business with Trump, who was described as a "whale" client with high yield business opportunities."
This is the kangaroo court’s real gift to America.
The Trump affair is not only a victimless crime.
It’s a crimeless crime.
As we wrote earlier, men who made the mistake of purchasing a Chinese shirt on Facebook have suffered more damage than the anonymous banks and insurance companies in New York.
Those who believe the system works and Donald Trump will be vindicated in a future appellate ruling are ignoring the reality of the here and now in favor of some fantasy justice in the future.
Trump will have to either pay the ruling now or post a bond in the full amount during the appeal.
Bonds are like bail. Even if Trump can find someone to post the bond, he will have to pay a hefty fee — if it’s like bond for a criminal — in the neighborhood of $46 million dollars, which won’t be refunded to him if he wins on appeal.
And Trump won’t be able to direct his companies because an expensive "independent monitor" (probably someone’s campaign contributor) will be in the driver’s seat, calling all the shots.
The process here is the punishment, regardless of the final verdict.
Even if vindicated by an appellate court, Trump will have spent millions of dollars he won’t get back, his companies will be under the direction of people who hate him for the duration of the appellate process and this entire clown circus will be a distraction from his re-election campaign.
Which is the motive behind all these leftist legal attacks.
This isn’t the rule of law.
It’s the rule of mobs.
And the sooner conservatives cowboy up and start retaliating, the sooner it will stop.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker's bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now With Added Humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.