Who Owns Your Property?

Posted on 04. Aug, 2008 by Mrs. Mecomber in blogging

This news story is a little old (from March) but the story behind the news is not old. It asks the modern question, “Who owns your property?”

From the Watertown Daily News

MORRISTOWN — The town is making a statewide appeal for help in prosecuting Amish men for building homes without permits. Ten members of the conservative religious group have been charged in the clash between building codes and religious tenets that shun modernization.

The ordeal began in July 2006, when Andy Miller, Dumont Road, was charged with building a house without a permit. His case was repeatedly delayed because he did not have an attorney, and an agreement to issue a permit was reached in January 2007. The town eventually declined, however, because Mr. Miller would not allow code enforcement officer L. Kay Davis to inspect his home, as agreed upon.

The small town is paying through the nose– due to translation problems (the Amish speak Pennsylvania Dutch), lack of legal help, and more. Oh boo hoo. I really have little sympathy for the state in this case. Why? Because the state is merely using their overbearing laws to punish the Amish. The Amish guy does not want electric or plumbing in his home– but the state is going to force him to do so, anyway? And at the cost of the homeowner? And then continue to charge him exorbitant taxes so that he may continue to “keep” his land?

This is ridiculous. Essentially, it is not the property owner who owns his land. For all intents and purposes, when you get a piece of paper saying the land is yours, but then you are forced to 1) pay high taxes every year or be evicted, 2) get permission and PAY for that permission to do just about anything on your property (here in NY, you can’t even cut down trees or build a fence without government permission), and 3) allow inspectors to come through your property when they want to— who would you say REALLY owns the land?

Property ownership is a farce in the country! And the sad thing is, we have sold out our own rights under us, by allowing it to happen! Grrr!

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3 Responses to “Who Owns Your Property?”

  1. Mizé

    04. Aug, 2008

    Hi. I´ve been reading your blogs for a couple months but I didn´t comment much.
    This post made me feel like commenting because I´m in a simmilar situation with my plot here in Portugal. I feel like I don´t own it, and it makes me relly angry that local politics invade our rights.
    I´m telling my story to the world in my blog “My CountryHome”.
    Best Regards.
    Mizé.

  2. The Historian (Ms. Mecomber)

    06. Aug, 2008

    Sounds to me like the Amish are just a little behind in speaking the language of their landlords (pun intended)! In New York (in the rural east, at least), it used to be Dutch landlords over tenents working and living on the land. Now, it’s the same thing, only they are “our own people”!

  3. Mizé

    08. Aug, 2008

    Hi.
    It´s nice to know a little bit more about Amish, I think I identified myself with them.
    The same thing happens here but in a slightly different way. We Portuguese used to own half of the world (Tordosilhas with the Spanish)and now we don´t even own our land.
    The funny thing here in Algarve is someone from another country can build a house without having a ruin, and a local like me can´t, makes no sense at all. Well, all I can say is I´m not giving up my fight, at least I can talk their language.
    Best Regards. Mizé.

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