Taxpayer Breaking News, October 22, 2007
Oppose 'Hallowed Ground' Scheme

In spite of the opposition of Republican members of the Natural Resources Committee, Americans for Tax Reform's Property Rights Alliance, to say nothing of the Heritage Foundation's critical studies - - - the latest released today, the Frank Wolf-sponsored Journey Through Hallowed Ground scheme will come to the floor of the U. S. House for a vote tomorrow. This JTHG scheme is now part of a larger measure (H.R. 1483) to expand National Heritage Areas across the country. Here, moreover, is the National Taxpayers Union critique of H. R. 1483.
Representative Roscoe Bartlett has steadfastly opposed this stealth property-rights grab.
MTA Board member Ann Corcoran with long experience protecting property rights in Washington County, Maryland, gives TBN her insights into the bigger picture.

The thirteen dissenting Republicans on the Natural Resources Committee warned:

"Why would private property owners believe they will be able to `opt out' when two Members of Congress could not have their districts removed?"

In plain words, this measure authorizes bankrolling, with taxpayer money, anti-property-rights private groups to lean on county and other local officials to zone away the rights of smaller landholders who don't have the money to fight back effectively. Big tourism combines with "green" collectivists to turn historic areas (potentially most of populated America) into their own theme parks.

Just today, the Heritage Foundation released another report critical of the JTHG scheme:

"The effort was sponsored and promoted mainly by two factions: Virginia-based environmental groups with a long history of opposition to most residential and commercial development in the region; and wealthy estate owners looking to profit from the cachet and exclusivity that the designation might bring. The opposition includes local property owners and a large minority in Congress.

Chief among the opponents' concerns was the likely impact on the rights of property owners in the region. The sponsors and would-be managers of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground NHA have a long history of restricting the rights of property owners to develop their land."

Heritage's earlier report declared:

"In recent years, the key organizations with seats on the partnership board have actively advocated no-growth policies in the region and have often par­ticipated in local zoning hearings and land use deci­sions to stop proposed residential developments. H.R. 319 [JTHG] would provide federal funding to support these efforts through the foundation and would authorize departments of the federal government to work with the foundation, giving it unmatched political clout at the state and local level."

Veteran property rights advocate Ann Corcoran of Washington County comments:

• I am sickened every time I hear that tired "hallowed ground" phrase. They used that on us at Antietam. It's how they pull in public support from well-meaning people who only look at the issue superficially.
• The modus operandi is the same as the one they used at Antietam 18 years ago with the first step a designation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as an endangered place.
• The "preservation" group players are the same. But, keep in mind these groups' leaders are not driven by an altruistic desire to preserve historic sites or landscapes. This is big business.
• More than 30 years ago Representative Mo Udall (D-AZ) tried to get Federal land use planning through Congress and since it failed, these interests have persisted in attempting to do it piece by piece. The original buzzword was "greenlining", but when the public started to catch on they just changed the terminology.
• "Heritage Area" is just another name for Federal control of land use.
• Their glossy promotional material quotes heavily from Robert E. Lee, but the General would be turning in his grave if he saw his beloved Virginia giving up its sovereignty to Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Feds. This is about states rights and the continued erosion of states rights by mostly leftwing elitists. However,I am sorry to say, there are Republicans involved in this too (or maybe I should say RINOs).
• The "preservation" groups give off an aura of being grassroots in the sense of folks sitting around the kitchen table licking envelopes... but they are not. They are funded heavily by rich corporations and large foundations (Mellon, Pew, Rockefeller, W. Alton Jones). I found that in my research years ago.
• There are developers (insiders) involved in this also who are ready to cash in once the tourist magnet has been fully locked up. It's a rather clever plan....lock up the magnet using Federal laws and taxpayer funding and then insiders make a profit.
• They throw around the phrase "public-private" partnership which they seem to think has some magic ring to it. In fact, it means that moneyed interests have their hands in taxpayers' pockets.
• They claim there is no governmental land purchase involved. However, I found mention of some National Heritage Areas where federal land purchase is permitted, but only from "willing sellers". This is bogus. A seller becomes willing when he lives in a Federally designated area and no one else wants to buy his land. Inside Federal boundaries, condemnation can be used. Even if the land is never condemned, just the possibility reduces the value of the land. I suspect the developer insiders lick their chops over that!
• Also, now with the Kelo (Supreme Court) decision, any government entity could condemn property and turn it over to a developer who would build something more in keeping with the goals of this Heritage Area (hotel, convention center, etc), in complete disregard for your goals for your property.
• This National Heritage Area designation is for the rich and powerful to maintain their elitist lifestyles in the horse country of Virginia. Apparently, they also expect some Federal dollars for their passions--horses and vineyards. They want to keep out the regular guy, the riff-raff.
• If the goal is enhanced tourism, that could be accomplished by representatives of tourist bureaus from the states and cities involved meeting periodically and doing some joint planning of events.
• With the population of the US projected to increase by 100,000,000 by 2050 almost exclusively from immigration, such a designation sets up special areas for the rich to cloister themselves and their offspring from the pressure that population increase will bring to bear on open space.(Of course, the immigrants can come muck the horse stables and pick the grapes).
• Anyone who wishes to preserve their "viewshed" can always do the good old American thing---BUY IT, using their own money!
• When an area is designated a Heritage Area, many "patsy" local governments will enact zoning and other restrictions on property, using the Heritage Area designation as the excuse.
• At Antietam they got the local zoning restriction (although we took it to the Maryland Supreme Court. and forced some changes). They did not get much else. We did so much FOIA work, revealing to the public what the plan was, that they had to hit the road.
• Former Governor Schaefer's convention center plan was nothing more than a $20,000 Maryland taxpayer-funded study that had to be shelved because, when the regular folks in rural Washington County found out about it, they screamed bloody murder. Then, since the local preservationist groups were behind EVERYTHING the Park Service and the State wanted, when word of the convention center development got out, they lost some of their supporters in the local community. In other words, they operate under a false impression---that they are all about preservation--- and when it is revealed that some insiders are going to make big bucks, they lose local public support.