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copyright
Bill Doctorman Photography
Read more by Jonathan
on his blog:
www.tucsonsammy.com
Previous columns:
What's
Mine is Mine
Voting
by Mail, an Invitation to Fraud
Street Protests in the New
Millennium
When TV Actors
Go Bad
A Great Darkness Fell on the
Land
An Open Letter to
Fellow Libertarians and Non-Aligned Voters
Coulter Kerfuffle
ROAD TRIP!
Flying the Incarcerated Skies
Intergenerational Corporate
Welfare
Fraud is the Bottom Line
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Who is
Serving Whom?
Last November a property rights initiative, Prop 207, was
passed by an overwhelming sixty-five per cent of the Arizona
citizenry. After being betrayed by the courts, then thwarted
by a Napolitano veto of corrective legislation, the people
took direct action through the initiative process. This is
right, fitting, and proper. Remember, it was not an opinion
poll. Prop 207 is the law.
Now, no one expects the cities and counties of Arizona to be
happy about it. After all, they did spend millions of dollars
in taxpayer funds to defeat it. Yet, the less cynical among us
might expect that, since it is the law, and the citizens
overwhelmingly support it, they might start thinking about how
they will comply. The rest of us wondered how the local
governments would get around it. Citizens (as opposed to
subjects) are truly a thorn in the paw of the government
bureaucracy beast.
Well, in mere months, the rest of us have our answer. Many
Arizona cities now require property owners to surrender their
Prop. 207 rights in order to receive zoning changes and other
land use permits. They are required to sign a waiver to that
affect.
This little gem of an idea came from the League of Arizona
Cities and Towns, a lobbying organization representing ninety
local governments, and paid in tax dollars. Now, the issue of
why cities feel the need to hire lobbyists with tax money to
promote their interests (as opposed to yours) is an argument
for another day, though I do believe that if these cities were
as enthusiastic about the interests of their constituents as
they are of their own, the State of Arizona would be a better
place.
Apache Junction requires these waivers for all land use
transactions, and the cities of Gilbert and Chandler require
them for all zoning requests. With its City Council's recent
lurch to the left, will Tucson be far behind?
Some may scoff and say, "C'mon, everyone knows that you can't
sign away rights. Those waivers are not legal under the
constitution and will not survive the first court challenge."
Oh yeah? What court? Remember, the highest appellate court in
the land said that the City of New London's seizing of Mrs.
Kelo's home and giving it to the Pfizer Corporation was a
"public use." That decision by the Supremes is the court
equivalent of the cities' waivers.
With Governor Napolitano (also known as "JANET") keeping the
pantywaist legislators in check, there is no branch of
government left to whom we may turn. That's right, there is no
knight who will ride in on a white horse and slay the beast.
We have to do this, fight for the rule of law, and our rights.
It has always been that way.
How, you may ask, do we "fight" the evil doers? Try these: Set
up a web site where people can pledge to deny support,
financial or other forms, to any elected official who allows
this lawlessness in his city. Promise a serious primary
challenge to any elected official who allows this lawlessness.
Generate a list of such officials, and pledge support to their
opponents. Ask all candidates for elected office to sign a
pledge to seek compliance with ARS 12-1131 (Prop. 207),
broadcast the names of those who refuse.
These are just a few ideas. There are many political
operatives out there who can conjure up tactics far more juicy
than these. Bureaucrats are not the only ones who can play
hardball.
We have two choices. We can tame the beast, or give up, and
live to feed it. |
"We have two
choices. We can tame the beast, or give up, and live to feed
it." |
