George Allen: Land-Grabber?

Jesse Walker | August 18, 2006

When George Allen isn't spouting racial slurs, he's making life harder for property owners. Or so say the analysts at the National Center for Public Policy Research:

Senator Allen is the chief sponsor of legislation that would create a massive federal "National Heritage Area" that would stretch from Charlottesville, VA, through Frederick County, MD, and end in Gettysburg, PA. Such areas are best described as heavily regulated corridors where property rights may be strictly curtailed....

"This is a transparent effort by 'not in my back yard' elitists to milk millions of dollars from the nation's taxpayers to mandate gentrification of their rural landscape. These bluebloods want their pretty views and bucolic fields preserved in perpetuity at the expense of property rights, small landowners and farmers, and taxpayers," said Robert J. Smith, a senior fellow at the National Center.

Comments

|8.18.06 @ 9:35AM|#

"This is a transparent effort by 'not in my back yard' elitists to milk millions of dollars from the nation's taxpayers to mandate gentrification of their rural landscape. These bluebloods want their pretty views and bucolic fields preserved in perpetuity at the expense of property rights, small landowners and farmers, and taxpayers," said Robert Smith, a senior fellow at the National Center."

Exactly... I live in Albemarle County outside of Charlottesville and it is a Volvo-driving, McMansion-building, NIMBY-crying, bunch of over-educated elites (I'm one of those over-educated too, though). Until I realized the true purpose of the organization, I belonged to a local citizens group that published a useful newsletter with all sorts of county information. Then one day, I get an e-mail from the chair with quote in it. Needless to say, I'm out of that group.

"many people have come to believe that their property rights come as an entitlement with ownership. actually property rights are uses of the land which are given to landowners by the elected officials of an area."

and an example of some of the mindsets down here...

Mountain Overlay Proposal

Needless to say, I'll be voting for this guy for state rep this year...

Central Virginia Libertarian

|8.18.06 @ 10:30AM|#

"...actually property rights are uses of the land which are given to landowners by the elected officials of an area."

'nuff said

|8.18.06 @ 10:33AM|#

Why would you go through the trouble to give your looney-toons, radical outfit a nice, wonkish, inoffensive name like "The National Center for Public Policy Research," and then ruin the effect by putting out an official statement full of term like "property rights may be strictly curtailed," "elitists," "make millions of dollars from the nation's taxpayers," "mandate gentrification," and "bluebloods?"

I love that last one. Libertarians have grabbed onto 19th century class warfare cant, and are locked on like a bull shark.

|8.18.06 @ 11:08AM|#

I love class warfare even though I tend to be the same class as the "elitists." But, agreed, not the most effective policy stance. It does not go very far... even though the sentiments are legit.

|8.18.06 @ 1:21PM|#

So, joe, do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

property rights are uses of the land which are given to landowners by the elected officials of an area.

VM (as DA Lamarr)|8.18.06 @ 2:33PM|#

"Land... Land... See 'snatch'"

D.A. Ridgely|8.18.06 @ 2:56PM|#

My guess, R.C., is that he disagrees. "Given," after all, suggests something irrevocable. "Lent" or "loaned" (I can never keep those straight) would probably be better.

|8.20.06 @ 1:00PM|#

RC,

That statement is poorly phrased and misleading.

Property rights' provenance is certainly broader than "local governments." Local governments don't give people their property rights; they protect, define, shape, and restrict those rights, but they don't grant them.

You have the right to use and to develop your land. The role of local governments is to add a series of asterisks to that statement.

|8.22.06 @ 4:53PM|#

This seems like a bunch of Macaca to me!

I can't imagine what Allen is thinking these days........wasted potential.
pathetic