Compensation Just

Published September 7, 2006

Dear Editor:

Regarding “Battle joined on land use initiative” (Sept. 8), why shouldn’t government reimburse people for the value of property rights lost to the government? When government physically takes a piece of property, it must pay the landowner. When government takes away a person’s rights to use his or her property, the loss felt is just as real.

Rather than arbitrarily singling out individual citizens to bear the costs and the burden of excessive government regulation, Initiative 933 will rightfully return the costs to the entity that has accrued the benefit–government.

Sincerely,

James M. Taylor


James M. Taylor ([email protected]) is senior fellow for environment policy at The Heartland Institute and managing editor of Environment & Climate News.