Zimbabwe chieftain Robert Mugabe is once again confiscating private land:
In its latest crackdown on democratic freedoms, the government announced yesterday that all farmland will be nationalized and private land ownership abolished.King County Executive Ron Sims also wants to effectively abolish private land ownership:
Sims presented an outline of what he will propose to the County Council Monday for revising the comprehensive plan and the county's critical-areas ordinance ... Rural residents would be required to retain existing trees on at least 65 percent of their property and have no more than 10 percent covered by impervious surfaces.Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at June 09, 2004 11:02 AM
Private property in Washington pretty well went out with the Growth Management Act. It sounded harmless - all Counties had to do was 'plan'.
It was a foot in the door for the hordes of unemployed urban planners who graduate year after year from the ivory towers of the country. Socialists all, they know to a certainty that their profound thoughts on land use benefit society far more than the dreams of the less enlightened landowners. They came from far and wide, 'interning' for nothing in the planning bureaus to make connections, soon found employment there and now are set for life.
Sims's policies and Sound Transit are two of their triumphs. How much better the world would be had they learned some productive skills instead.
Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on June 9, 2004 08:26 PMSims could have his way in King County, but then the Law of Unintended Consequences kicks in so longs as the surrounding counties do not have similar regulations. One foot outside the County and a property owner can develop however he pleases (well, at least more to his tastes than inside King COunty, I'm sure). Sims is actually creating an incentive to go outside the County if wanting to develop more densely than the proposed regs would allow.
What do we call the result of Sims' policy? Urban sprawl.
Way to go, Ron.
Posted by: Mike Kole on June 10, 2004 04:38 AMSims seems to take the left's "nuanced" view of property rights. You have the right to own property, but you have to do with it what the Government says you have to do with it.
Posted by: Matt J Kurlander on June 10, 2004 07:55 AMHa Ha.
I'm so glad I found this site. You guys really make me laugh. I never knew fastists could be so funny.
Thanks for your kind words, Selector. Just call me the fastist gun in the west.
Posted by: Stefan Sharkansky on June 10, 2004 12:11 PMHey Selector M3,
The defination of fascism is " a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism."
Whose behavior does this best describe, Ron Sims who touches most of these bases or those like the Shark who are defending individual rights and freedoms?
Posted by: Gary B on June 10, 2004 09:00 PMThe Fastist and the Furioustistist.
Posted by: Matt J Kurlander on June 11, 2004 05:58 AM