The Republicans have their echo chamber which allows them to influence the media, so it is my turn to help the other side.

2006-10-23

Why You Should Vote Against I-933

Whether you support property rights or environmental regulations, your vote on I-933 should be the same: no.

This initiative rolls back any restriction on property use passed since 1995. It is this retroactivity that makes the initiative so dangerous, and why you should vote against it.

Supporters of the initiative argue that people buy land with a certain use in mind, and different potential uses factor into the property's price. Putting restrictions on the land after purchase decreases the value for the landowner, since they are no longer allowed to utilize the land in certain ways. This is true. However, the corollary is also true. In the time since 1995, citizens have bought property with the knowledge that the land around them is only zoned or allowed certain uses. If this initiative were passed, it would reduce property value for many land owners because the adjacent land would be opened up for new use.

I'll give an extreme example: Assume I bought a piece of land. When I bought the land, I knew all nearby properties had similar zoning and no one was allowed to build a coal power plant next to me. However, now I-933 is passed. My neighbor sells their land to a large energy company who gets a waiver and begins to build a coal power plant. My property value is decreased dramatically because of this new use.

In the example, I, as a property owner, was screwed by the retroactive nature of the initiative. Continuing with the example, say a bill was passed, after I-933, that prevented my neighbors from building wind turbines. Another neighbor comes along and gets a waiver to build a wind turbine. This is fair because I knew full well when I bought the property that it was zoned for wind turbines.

As you can see, it is the retroactive natural of the initiative that is really damaging. If the initiative wasn't retroactive, I wouldn't be so strongly against it.

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