08 Aug 2007 Power Line Asks About Journey Through Hallowed Ground

Paul Mirengoff of Power Line has asked Senator John McCain what he thinks about the federal Journey Through Hallowed Ground legislation:

Towards the end of the interview, I asked McCain about legislation recently proposed in the House that would use federal money to create a multistate land use planning body for a wide (and apparently unspecified) swath of land in four states where civil war battle fields and other historic landmarks are located (“The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Act”) . Some property rights advocates fear that this legislation would limit private property rights while giving environmentalists and wealthy land owners extraordinary power to thwart construction of all but the most expensive houses and estates in the Virginia segment of the “corridor.”

Senator McCain responded that, as a general matter, he favors resolving these kinds of matters cooperatively at the state and local level, and with respect for private property rights. Since this particular matter involves multiple states, he seemed receptive to the idea of a voluntary interstate compact.

It is nice to see politicians being asked about this. Next maybe we’ll see Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) being asked why he arranged for the lobbying entity for JTHG to receive federal dollars via earmark to lobby for its own power-grab. (They’ll argue it was for a scenic byway, but money is fungible, and how many groups — outside of Alaska, that is — receive a million-dollar federal grant before they have even been incorporated?I well remember the morning husband David discovered this earmark while doing research at the kitchen table in his PJs while simultaneously watching the children. “Pajamas media” — at work.