Beware of Creeping Collectivism!
Our government has increasingly embraced a collectivist, socialist, paternalistic intrusive Statist mode of action. This political philosophy has increased in our sociocultural fabric since the last of the days of President Ronald Regan. This is not hard to see in the President Obama’s socialist/collectivist administration and it is not hard to see these attitudes growing within in the general population.
As a case in point, in my wooded neighborhood, a spontaneous collectivist movement foreign to the traditions of American independence and individuality has grown significantly over the past decade. It recently manifest itself in mass-Emailed complaints about home-owners removing trees, adding-on structures to their homes, or building large and expensive homes that “change the nature of our residential area”.
The following letter, now an open letter to anyone interested, was my response to those who wished to use some sort of “covenant” as a way to put unreasonable limits on home owner’s reasonable personal liberties.
Beware of creeping collectivism!
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Hello all,
Sally and I Share many of our neighbor’s concerns about “covenant”-based limits on our liberty to make reasonable changes and improvements to our private property.
We moved into the this neighborhood in 1971. At 71 yrs., I have learned to deal with change by repeating to myself a reality-based rule: Nothing is perfect, nothing stays the same, and nothing lasts forever.
1. We live on some very valuable geography, perfectly located near all that is needed to live the good life in a small city.
2. People want to live in our little neighborhood. If they build expensive homes, our own property will likely increase in value. One day, we may be an entire neighborhood of such homes and that would not be a bad thing.
3. Sometime ago it was in the news that a falling tree killed a man sleeping in his bed. A tree is similarly positioned to fall on our bedroom and bed! Sally and I and our neighbor will cooperate to have it taken out. The tree surgeon told us that the tree could fall at any time, or could be fine for 30 years. I don’t care to gamble. Are we supposed to get expert witnesses to the tree’s condition and appeal for approval to remove our own tree to some “covenant board”?
4. Both of our homes in this neighborhood have been hit and damaged by massive trees; one fell on our first home in this neighborhood, and two more have fallen on our current home. We have had insurance terminated twice, as a result.
5. Now for the bigger picture. In my view, America is in a state of general decline because progressivism, collectivism, socialism (or whatever you wish to call it) has invaded our traditional ethos of individuality, independence, and personal responsibility, etc..
While we respect those who are expressing their concerns about the behavior of others in in our neighborhood, I must remind all of us that, to some reasonable degree, what one chooses to do with their private property is their business. We do not have a right to try and control their behavior because it makes us uncomfortable, we do not like it, or it fails to meet our preferred aethetics.
I do not know exactly what a “reasonable degree is”, but I am certain it has nothing to do with my taking my trees down or building a large home. Sally and I will certainly be upset and moved to action if someone builds a hotel in our neighborhood, opens a house of prostitution, or a home is converted to a “crack-house”. There are certainly limits to the traditional American live-and-let-live philosophy…but we are nowhere near those limits in our wooded neighborhood.
We really like our beautiful and friendly neighborhood. We do not wish to appear strident, but we detest the extreme communal directions in which some neighborhood associations have evolved: No American flags, no religious symbols, board approval and permission for changes to private property, and legal action and fines for non-compliance with a growing list of rules, etc..
I can assure all that Sally and I will oppose any contractual or covenant-based movement in that direction. Again, we mean no disrespect to anyone…just a kindly, but unshakable resolve.
P.S. Please visit my blog about these and other cultural matters. www.culturalsurvivalskills.com
If you like what you see, please click the follow button and send my URL to loved ones and friends.
If you want to debate the issues there, you are warmly invited to do so.
Tom and Sally Mawhinney
11/30/13
Cultural Survival Skills 