Lotus Puppy
17-09-2005, 02:27
I didn't watch Pres. Bush's speech last night, as I assumed it'd be mostly some inspirational words and rehashing of what just happened. Yet I had it on the TV, and ran to watch snippets when Bush proposed legislation. It was what I feared: the usual mumbo jumbo that the government says to try and be all things to all people, and strains itself (and its credibility) in the process. But I fell in love with one idea that took the fat off government.
The Urban Homestead act is, as far as I can tell, a reincarnation of the original Homestead Act of the late 1800s. It gave 160 acres to anyone out West that farmed the land for five years, free of charge. At first glance, it seems like the regular social manipulation of the government to encourage Western settlement based on grants. Yet it did an important job: it placed the federal government as the custodian of land in the West, keeping it only because no one else bought it. It did not act as the master of the West, unlike its failed attempt in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
The government, of course, is far bigger than in the 19th century, and holds a lot of land. Much of it is in the form of public housing projects. Yet housing projects are human cesspools. The War on Poverty encourages poverty, because it does not teach the poor the self sufficiency they need. You may be rich when a pile of money lands on your door, but can you stay rich? Make even more money? That's the skills the government inherently teaches its dependents.
This Urban Homestead Act, however, is a godsend. If more people have property, they will learn how to maintain it, and not just file a report when a repair is needed. Even if a housing project is bought by a more affluent landlord, self sufficiency will still be taught now that the owner is an investor looking to make profit, not a nanny that keeps babies in the crib. Most importantly, however, it puts the government where it belongs. It is not an overlord, nor is it a babysitter. It is a guardian.
I hope Congress passes this with esteem, and I also hope that this will be expanded nationwide. And it may even include federal land in the West, bringing this full circle.
The Urban Homestead act is, as far as I can tell, a reincarnation of the original Homestead Act of the late 1800s. It gave 160 acres to anyone out West that farmed the land for five years, free of charge. At first glance, it seems like the regular social manipulation of the government to encourage Western settlement based on grants. Yet it did an important job: it placed the federal government as the custodian of land in the West, keeping it only because no one else bought it. It did not act as the master of the West, unlike its failed attempt in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
The government, of course, is far bigger than in the 19th century, and holds a lot of land. Much of it is in the form of public housing projects. Yet housing projects are human cesspools. The War on Poverty encourages poverty, because it does not teach the poor the self sufficiency they need. You may be rich when a pile of money lands on your door, but can you stay rich? Make even more money? That's the skills the government inherently teaches its dependents.
This Urban Homestead Act, however, is a godsend. If more people have property, they will learn how to maintain it, and not just file a report when a repair is needed. Even if a housing project is bought by a more affluent landlord, self sufficiency will still be taught now that the owner is an investor looking to make profit, not a nanny that keeps babies in the crib. Most importantly, however, it puts the government where it belongs. It is not an overlord, nor is it a babysitter. It is a guardian.
I hope Congress passes this with esteem, and I also hope that this will be expanded nationwide. And it may even include federal land in the West, bringing this full circle.