March 6, 2013
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What Do You Really Own?
Most Native Americans believed, in years long past, that nobody could own the land. Hoever, when they were threatened by increasing numbers of settlers taking up residence in their home territories, they fought to keep it, so obviously they did feel it was “theirs”. People these days like to own land and homes of their own, as well as other material goods, but the truth is, you only own something as long as you can keep it, whether by legal means or by force.
The Government can ban something you legally possess, and take it away from you. They can decide you have more than you need, and take some of your wealth away in the form of taxes, to be spent as they decide best on others. They can also take your land by using a power called “Eminent Domain” if they decide a greater good is served by that land being used in a different way. It used to be used onloy only for things like the building of roads or railroads, but increasingly it is being used in cases where letting a developer build a store or other commecial enterprise will bring in more tax dollars for the Government. The link below is to an article that deals more extensively with the subject.
Comments (13)
Eminent domain is just another tool to remove from you, what you were paying for in this system, yet never own. Even if your mortgage is paid, you still pay taxes or lose your land. When you die, unless arranged “legally” the state gets your home.
You mentioned keeping property by legal means or force. This of course is, the way your land is removed from you. Legally you can leave, or they will force you out. Besides, once these 18 blocks of land are cleared, Walmart can bring lots of jobs to town.
Yes, if you think you really own the land, just don’t pay property tax. You”ll soon realize the tax was only rent.
Holy Mama,
Plesee tell me that the sweet gentleman is kidding about, “Bringing jobs to town,” for I can hardly believe our town square had everything we needed, including jobs, and now we have a big and ugly Walmart store back where I am from. They pay people with great work experience minimum wage, have become so damned cheap that they have fired the greeters, and if you go to a rural, smaller town version, you have to look at most products to make sure they are not outdated, because in the country around them; There are still vegetable and fruit growers. They carry cheap clothes made in India, China, and South America for the most part; whereas there was a shirt factory and a hat factory which prevailed in my old town. The town fathers have wisely maintained a beautiful old theater, but my heart breaks to see the boarded up buildings, And I believe the founder of the chain would feel shame in how greedy his family and heirs became. Dear Lord, we had Rexall, National Stores, A hometown furniture store, and the best dime store this side of heaven, and Walmart means what? More cheap jobs; I do not think so. I see it in California, and I pray for it across the nation, for new shops to open up and people pay a few dollars more and purchase less. Please folks, support home town businesses, and ownership is fragile for many families.
If we in this country do not believe after the last fifteen years that we are governed by people who never look at the common man, then we are dense. May the word go forth to bring back our small stores, and our people who give one damned, for you are getting things cheaper at Walmart, because they are among the wealthiest and the least likely to pay decent wages. I see a movement of young people in this country who will not walk in such places, and God Bless Them, everyone. How many Walmart scholarships are handed out for younger people in the high schools in your area, for they should at least be helping on that front; so you let me know when they have sacrificed corporate profits for students or for the disabled. Please support your farmers markets and the hardware stores who provide service.
I am thanking Lonelywanderer for allowing a place to speak on this one issue alone. A community can keep its identity if it maintains a safe distance from the big box stores. Please big boxes take jobs, and there is no denying they destroy small town America.
Barbara Everett Heintz
Tribes don’t think of the land as belonging to the individual. That does not mean they also don’t think it belongs to the community as a whole, the tribe.
What an interesting and thought provoking post!
In a representative form of government such as ours, limits on private ownership set by the government can be changed by changing the law.
It is troubling that the American public has tolerated the recent abuses of imminent domain.
@Lovegrove - In other word, Native Americans believe in imminent domain. Isn’t that interesting.
@ImNotUglyIJustNeedLove - I’d hesitate to say that hunter gathers thought about the land they found themselves on equated with a modern government’s rules about taking land away from people. I do believe however that it would not surprise the indigenous people of the New World that the rules exist. They’ve already suffered under something similarafter all.
@Lovegrove - In fact, Native American tribes were very possessive about their lands. They committed violence upon intruders and achieved “coup” by successfully intruding into the lands occupied by other tribes.
@ImNotUglyIJustNeedLove - As I thought was clear in my first remark, they thought the land belonged to the community and defended it or tried to expand, becasue they were not Quakers I suppose.
@Lovegrove - You are a scholar and a gentleman…
…well, a scholar anyway.
@ImNotUglyIJustNeedLove - As far asI can discern, I’m more the latter than the former, neither of which was of any use anyway,when the heathen Northmen landed, but I digress as is my wont,ordoI?
Some may think this is a good idea until it happens to you or someone/something close to you… been following several stories of local “seizure” of properties nearby and now they are tied up in court issues and spending tons on retaining their property because neighbors have come from the “cities” to enjoy the quiet of more countyside living… it is frightening (especially with the presidential current views of what’s yours is mine too)! More government is so not what we need… ^..^
They take everything from me for the sheer joy of taking it and justifying their stupidity.
I went on welfare and told them to go away.
They win. They proved that they are stupid.