24 Feb 2007 National Heritage Area Elitism Gone Wild

One of the anti-property rights activists fighting for Rep. Frank Wolf’s (R-VA) “Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Act” revealed her confusing, yet interesting, take on American government recently.

In response to critics who point out that Rep. Wolf’s bill would harm the rights of the property owners within the boundaries of the proposed Heritage Area, the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Andrea McGimsey let loose with this head-scratcher:

“Whose taxes are paying for your property rights? Mine are.”

I don’t know quite what to make of Ms. McGimsey’s statement. Seriously. I haven’t the foggiest. Suffice it to say she probably skipped more than few remedial government classes in her day. The right to private property is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. It is not made possible by Ms. McGimsey’s (or anyone’s) tax dollars.

But if it’s the plight of the taxpayer that concerns her, she really ought to oppose Rep. Wolf’s boondoggle, as it would siphon millions of federal tax dollars to a collection of special interest groups, who would in turn spend that money lobbying for land use restrictions on property owners.

Then again, Ms. McGimsey’s outfit is one of the groups that would benefit from this pork-barrel windfall.

So more accurately, she wants every taxpayer in America to pay for her group’s mission to take the property rights of citizens in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Oh yeah. And she’s tired of her tax dollars paying for your property rights. (???)