Conservatives frequently mix their hawkish instincts and sense of patriotism by saying that our soldiers die in war to protect our rights. There are rights for which we should not hestitate to pay a price in blood. But, young conservative gadfly Jessica Peck Corry cares more about dubious property rights. Writing in the Denver Daily news yesterday, for the libertarian leaning Independence Institute, her bemusing op ed article claims that our property rights are in peril here in Colorado.
At least the Beastie Boys wanted tofight for your right to party. The Independence Institute, as represented by this young activist, apparently wants to fight for your to leave your house in disrepair.
Owners of broken garage door locks, broken windows and ugly houses unite! The Independence Institute's cry is coming in loud and clear. Why insisting that you fix your house is evil incarnate when it is carried out by city planners some of whom "bring home six-figure salaries" (since when were libertarians worried about people making good money?), but is private enterprise working well when the same deeds are carried out by a homeowners association, whose President may make seven figures in his day job, isn't entirely clear. But, this seems to be the message.
One is also left wondering what a state constitutional amendment which would ban condemnation for economic development purposes has to do with either the municipal ordinance requiring homeowners in Boulder to fix their broken garage door locks, or with a decision in Golden to pay landowners $1.7 million so that land currently used for television antennas will now be open space (the 21st century name for a park without any facilities in it). Yet, she links this proposal to amend Colorado's constitution to them.
It seems to me that if the only way that Golden is able to prevent property owners from replacing analog television antennas with digital ones is to buy the land and turn it into a park, that property rights are alive and well in Colorado. And, I certainly hope that our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are protecting rights loftier than the right to leave your windows broken.
Maybe Corry's point is that "I want my MTV." But, you can only get MTV via cable or satellite dish. The TV towers in Golden would have only provided broadcast TV signals.
RE:
ReplyDelete"wants to fight for your to leave your house in disrepair. Owners of broken garage door locks, broken windows and ugly houses unite! The Independence Institute's cry is coming in loud and clear. Why insisting that you fix your house is evil incarnate when it is carried out by city planners some of whom "bring home six-figure salaries" (since when were libertarians worried about people making good money?)
First, let me say that I have searched for the article to which you refer online, but I can't find it. So I cannot address the context of your criticism. However, I am having a serious "gut reaction" to YOUR words.
Yes, fighting to keep one's home is an important effort, especially when fighting to keep a small working class home when developers decide high-end luxury lofts and McMansions as far more important and profitable than Affordable Housing.
I guess it would take a wealthy Wash Park yuppy to fail to understand how someone's home could possibly fall into disrepair. I would imagine that you never would face a crisis pertaining your ability to execute repairs upon your McMansion, while also paying the x-ell bill, pay the mortgage, face medical bills, all while having a pink or blue collar job, which purchasing power is ever diminished and diminishing.
Limousine Liberals such as yourself have truly abandoned the Working Classes who now work over-time without overtime pay (due to the job reclassification under the Bush Admin's Labor Dept scheme). So, you are progressive only until you actually have to be in contact with, or be exposed to those who actually break a sweat as they make a living. Then, god-forbid you should support their effort to keep their meager home, even as it falls apart, because they no longer can afford to pay a skilled tradesman to repair that broken door.
You sir, need to reassess your dedication to progressive principles. It would appear to me that such principles matter only insofar as an intellectual exercise, but utterly without practical understanding.