Source: Law & Liberty
by Michael C Munger
“Afriend of mine was once mayor of a small city, about forty thousand souls. A local landowner petitioned to develop single-family homes on a parcel he owned, about 20 acres. It was ‘ranch land,’ given over to meadows with a few copses of trees. Lovely place. When the hearing was held over this development, there was a surprise waiting: all six neighbors showed up to insist, vociferously, that the rancher must not be allowed to develop the land. They said they preferred the meadows and trees. I don’t doubt they were telling the truth. Now, it might seem there is a striking disconnect here, a tension between American attitudes toward private property and a ‘right’ to use public shouting to dictate how other people can use their property. If those six people really valued the land as scenery, they could have bought it.” (09/30/26)