Property rights absolutists gloat on Blue Oregon

Peter Bray put it succinctly:

"Why are these right-wingers allowed to post here?"

Bray, the creator of the blog Land Use Watch and outspoken opponent of Measure 37, posted his comment on Blue Oregon in response to the rabid gloating of property rights absolutists in the wake of the Oregon Supreme Court decision overturning a lower court's ruling that the measure was unconstitutional.

Here's an example from the anonymous Al:

"What fabulous news! As someone who is on the forefront of protecting property rights from the overreaching of government and their communist syncophants [sic], I rejoice in this decision.

"I just can't believe that the Supreme Commie Court of Oregon did it, though...They actually upheld property rights! Were they smoking something?

"No matter, it's done, at last!  Property owners, rejoice!"

What strikes me as odd in the "rejoicing" is the repeated reference to property owners as a distinct and persecuted class of citizens.  Hey, I'm a property owner and I don't feel at all victimized by Oregon's land use laws.  I support them.  In fact, I don't know anyone (adults, anyway) who isn't a property owner.

Bray, who wrote these satirical and hilarious arguments in favor of Measure 37 (scroll all the way down), blames Ted Kulongoski for Measure 37 and says he's voting for Pete Sorenson.  I'm with him on Sorenson.  I endorsed him months ago.

I've long admired Peter Bray.  I wrote this post about him and his opposition to Measure 37 (and the Endangered Species Act) last October.  I said then that Bray and his blog were an "indispensable bulwark against assaults on land use planning... ."   And that's even truer today.

Comments

[gus]

"Hey, I'm a property owner and I don't feel at all victimized by Oregon's land use laws."

I see a distinction between home owners who also own the plot of land their home sits on and land owners with two or more acres they acquired for purposes of future development. It is the latter group who have seen the future value of their land diminished by land use planners.