To the editor:
Ownership: “The state of being an owner; the right to own; exclusive right of possession; legal or just claim or title; proprietorship.”
To this I would add “exercising unqualified dominion” over what you own, and having exclusive right to its future disposition. This definition certainly applies to a new lawnmower or dishwasher. But how about that house you bought? Your house, unfortunately, comes with a permanent lien attached to it, the property tax imposed by your township. You do not “own” your home as a matter of right, as rights, by definition, are unqualified. No, you are saddled with a condition, an eternal mortgage with constantly shifting terms. Your “castle” becomes the collateral, the hostage, for this de facto forever mortgage, with forfeiture the penalty for failure to pay. You are reduced to the status of a mere steward or renter on the township’s property, permitted to live there only if you “perform” for this higher authority. Occupying your home is thus reduced to a mere privilege, not a right. But!… how will this revenue be replaced? With a “local services tax”, maybe, for ALL to pay since ALL benefit from those services. To tax a man’s right to property ownership (and to tax his labor with an income tax) is to enslave him. To deny him his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Remove this infringement on your sovereign right to home ownership. Vote for liberty. Support AxMITax. “Without property rights, no other rights are possible.”
