Readers Respond



The Uglification of Virginia

 

In the July 14 edition ("The Uglification of Virginia"), Bacon's Rebellion argued that scattered, low-density growth sprawl was ruining Virginia's scenic, rural vistas and, ironically, threatening a key component of urban quality of life. Most, but not all, readers agreed.

 

Stop Illegal Signs

 

For years I was an activist removing signs in the VDOT Right of Way in Loudoun County. Along with a few others, we removed tens of thousands of signs -- we stopped counting at about 30,000 and may have removed as many as 50,000. We also took many to court and had fines assessed against them, including the two gubernatorial candidates. That was fun, but a waste of time. Since 1998, I have been busy with our local PAC, Voters to Stop Sprawl.

 

The most effective technique is to ask a special grand jury to find the illegal sign poster to be a "public and private nuisance - check the Virginia code if you are not familiar with this.

 § 33.1-373. Advertising on rocks, poles, etc., within limits of highway: Any person who in any manner (i) paints, prints, places, puts or affixes any advertisement upon or to any rock, stone, tree, fence, stump, pole, mile-board, milestone, danger-sign, guide-sign, guidepost, highway sign, historical marker, building or other object lawfully within the limits of any highway or (ii) erects, paints, prints, places, puts, or affixes any advertisement within the limits of any highway shall be assessed a civil penalty of $100.

Joe Maio

maio@mediasoft.net

 

This is Progress?

 

I really appreciate your opinion on the plight we call sprawl. I am disgusted by the changes that I am seeing all over the west end of Richmond. There seems to be a general lack of common sense in the designs of the neighborhoods. I have an easier time driving around in the Fan than I do driving around the new neighborhoods in the West End. Have we forgotten how to create neighborhoods that are bike, bus and walking friendly? It's bad enough that we are losing so much nature, but we are replacing nature with poorly built homes in poorly designed neighborhoods.

 

On this topic, William Faulkner said: "They call it progress but they can never tell us where it's headed, and they never bother to ask the rest of us if we want to go along for the ride."

 

James Hickman

Interim Director of Workforce Development

Community College Workforce Alliance

jhickman@jsr.vccs.edu

 

Learn from Vermont

 

You're article is right on the money. Thanks. I just got back from Vermont, a state that has outlawed billboards and done a fairly good job of controlling sprawl. I wish some of the people who run this state could visit Vermont for a few days.

 

Bob Adriance

McLean

BAdriance@BOATUS.com

 

Whatever Happened to Property Rights?

 

Outside of his own home and surroundings (which he feverishly works to protect), no one seems to know or care anymore about private property rights. Such ignorance threatens our rights to own and use property — even our existence as a free nation.

 

It is bad enough when liberals are ignorant of the truth about private property (that is one reason why they are liberals) but it is especially depressing when conservatives join the attack on private property and his column is disseminated by environmentalists. The article in question by James Bacon warns of the loss of beauty of Virginia landscape through the nasty habit of converting it to human use.

 

No reasonably sensitive person likes the wholesale flattening of hills for the constructing of huge buildings or parking lots but none of the critics of development mention that ownership of such land is an "inalienable right." By such ignorance we fall prey to the ugly sin of covetousness — of trying to "own" that which is not our own. Because I find a particular landscape beautiful does not mean I have the right to preserve it for my viewing— unless I own it. Unfortunately, for preservationists, we have the well-established principle that what a man owns is his own — not anyone else’s. It is not the government’s right to take the land through restrictive zoning nor the private citizen’s right to give it away through permanent conservation easements.

 

Not only is covetousness a serious sin but acting on it violates our Constitution as well. By depriving future generations of private citizens of the right to own lands we destroy an inalienable right as guaranteed by our Constitution. "Inalienable" means the government cannot take it away. Even a citizen has no right to trade it away; He certainly does not have the right to trade away the land rights of his grand children.

 

The Virginia Declaration of Rights described the "means of acquiring and possessing property" better than it appeared, as condensed by Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence. The substitution of "happiness" for property cost us something of the understanding of property rights. Here is the original:

 

"That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."

Note that the author, George Mason, did not say "...except when owning and using such property messes up the 'viewscape' of rich liberals by putting houses on ridge tops."

 

That brings up High Top: Environmentalists are currently incensed over the possibility that some 900 acres in Greene County near High Top Mountain would be sold off in parcels for development. Under current land use laws some 36 houses could be built there. And that, to environmentalists, is an outrage. Thirty six houses on 922 acres represents a density of one house per 25 acres. Not exactly high density. So what is wrong with it? It seems to be a breach of the principle that no human must be allowed to own and use mountain land, unless it is by the government for use by rich liberals to look at. Environmentalists want either for government to buy it outright or for some conservation group to buy it, as one step closer to government’s owning all of the pretty-to-look-at land.

 

Notice that they are not upset by "exploitation" of land for human habitation in the pine flats of Louisa County. There the servant class can live out of sight. Only they will have to be bused in to cut grass for the aforesaid rich liberals in their mountain hideaways.

 

In this hatred of human use — except for use by rich liberals— environmentalists join in with the rich folks from D.C. and Richmond who, 70 years ago, drove the mountain people out of most of the Blue Ridge mountains so other rich city people could profit from the subsequent land grab., and still other rich city people could then drive the length of the mountain chain and enjoy the views.

 

The idea that they are "saving" the land for nature is a lie. Animals could care less what "view" they are seeing and plants, rocks and dirt are totally unaware. Only rich liberals care about the "viewscape." Only rich liberals do not have to care about reality, like where will all the ordinary (inferior) people live?

 

Real people would only like a place to live and work.

 

Mike Smith

Ignorant Hillbilly

Turkey Ridge

TurkeyRidge@Hotmail.com

 


NoVA Stricken by Flaming Watermelon Truck

 

What on earth was the Fahl piece about ("The Growth Control Debate," July 28, 2003?) Something “retro,” making believe it’s the 1960’s? On a June visit to NoVa, we encountered traffic stopped in both northbound lanes of U.S. 29 south of Warrenton. A friend later told us that a watermelon truck from North Carolina had caught fire, that I-66 wasn’t backed up that far … yet.

 

Square mile after square mile of detached houses on acre and half-acre lots, dumping more traffic onto congested arterials, is the problem, not the solution. The wastelands reserved for possible commercial use make the landscape even more depressing. What the last 40 years have created is a pseudo-urban settlement pattern that is so thin and brittle that it can be brought to a halt by one flaming watermelon truck. 

 

Tinkering and continued subsidy of 60’s-style subdivisions aren’t the answers. How about some attention to the deep defects in governmental structure that keep the now-alienated public from dealing with the mess?

 

Joe Freeman

Lynchburg

JosephFreeman@msn.com

 


 

The Ignorance of Youth

 

Alina Massey’s writings ("Love-Hate Relationship," July 28, 2003) aptly illustrate the ignorance of youth, particularly youth infected with an education at a modern-day socialistic university. She balks at the conservative, stable values that have provided her with the opportunity to take four years of her life and in a non-productive mode while many others were struggling to make a living.

 

Ms. Massey’s opines that Richmond should be more like New York. In case she hasn’t noticed, many people have come here because they found the Richmond area more agreeable than the ‘Rotten Apple’. If the big city meets her needs better than our central Virginia paradise, may God be with her as she pursues her dream. Just don’t try to bring me along into it.

 

In a blithe misunderstanding of the ways in which the world really works Ms. Massey rightly chastises the city for spending an unconscionable amount of money on a performing arts center no one will use. But, then, she thinks that the money extracted from the taxpayers should be spent on events young people would attend. As a confirmed free-marketer, I would have to respond that if the young people who have nothing better to do than spend Daddy’s money are not willing to spend it to support such activities, we as productive citizens should not be taxed to supply them with entertainment.

 

She thinks Richmond is loosing its creative people, but this is not the case. It’s losing people who want a less principled society. This does not always equate to creativity. She fusses about business dress codes and lack of recognition of homosexual partners as if these things are wrong. If New York makes her happy, may she enjoy her time there… but don’t bring their problems down here.

 

Larry Miller

Richmond

richmondeagle@comcast.net

 

-- August 11, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letter Writer

 

Joe Maio

 

James Hickman

 

Bob Adriance

 

Mike Smith

 

Joe Freeman

 

Larry Miller