Smart Growth Questions

---By Representative Cliff Newton-Rochester

Much is said about high property taxes. As painful as it is, paying a property tax is a constant reminder of the cost of government. Some say a new income tax would ease property tax burdens. Yet no new tax has ever decreased the total tax burden. Always remember, an income tax in good times, gives government more money to spend without asking for it. Most Americans now donate 50 cents of every dollar they earn to taxes and costs incurred by government regulations. Do we really want to add to that burden?

There is the alarm being sounded on the perceived shortage of workforce housing. Smart growth policies, which grew nationwide in the 1990's, encouraged regulations designed to reduce suburban sprawl and control growth. Not surprisingly, housing costs grew as well. Its time to ask if there is a direct correlation between huge increases in housing costs and increased land use restrictions, zoning ordinances and restrictive building codes. And what role should planners play in all this? Wendell Cox said it well: "We need planners who don't aspire to socially engineering our futures. We need planners who help us reach destinations we choose and live in homes of our choosing.

Is the land for private home ownership disappearing in the name of conservation? Conservation easement brokers readily admit that they are no longer interested in swamps or land unsuitable for building homes. Their goal is to get permanent restrictions on as much prime land as possible. The only land that will have value in the future, land that could be developed and where homes of future generations would surely have been built. Think about it. Will this practice of removing property rights forever, or dead-handing, increase or decrease the cost of home ownership?

Will those trusted with finding a solution to affordable home ownership have the political courage to remove obstructions and challenge current politically correct practices?