HIGHLAND, UT | 4 June 2008| “Personal liberty requires private propety.” So, the collective psyche of our nation instills into our minds. This is the most basic and simple to understand of the 13 Principles. At least from a visceral point of view. But what is property ownership? What is the proper use of the stewardship? And what do we do with the people who choose to use their agency regarding this stewardship improperly? In Canton, Ohio, this week, the city council voted unanimously to impose stiffer penalties against property owners who do not maintain their property according to the standards of the rest of the neighborhood, that being keeping the grass under 8 inches. These penalties include higher dollar fines and even jail time for repeat offenders. Many Principles of Prosperity come into play in this current event, perhaps the two most relevant are 12 and 3.

Key Points

• Collective Action has no unique moral authority.Every irate neighbor in Canton, Ohio should asking him/herself this sobering question: If I do not like how my neighbor keeps his grass, do I have the right to march over there and put a gun to that person’s head and threaten to shoot if he/she does not mow the lawn? If this is absurd individually, then it is also absurd to pass a law that allows government officials to do the same. Consider: if the city submits citations and the owner still does not comply how does the city enforce the law it just passed? Eventually, it must send an armed police to the premises where that officer can force the property owner into compliance—at the point of a gun. This is immoral behavior by the citizens of Canton, collectively.
• Agency implies stewardship. Property owners often argue, “It belongs to me, I can keep the grass as long as I want to.” Yet, this is a mistaken statement. While, yes, as owner, an individual does have the right to decide how he takes care of his stewardship, it is also a portion of that agency that shows that a stewardship ill-kept is soon a lost stewardship. Last week’s news story and the responses to it provide the cases in point for this story. Typically, an unkempt yard is indication of an owners inability to maintain and retain the property. Many of the current violators of the city’s ordinances are banks, corporations, and “the poor.” Some residents have argued that they prefer the longer grass because it reflects the natural state of the earth. While this may be a matter of choice for a few, most people who do not take care of their yards, allow the overgrowth because they can’t afford to purchase a mower or a yard maintenance team, or do not have the time because they are overstretched in other areas of their lives. Thus, if they do not take the initiative to make some changes in their lives, they will soon find themselves “relieved” of this particular stewardship.

Conclusion

Our Founding Fathers took property ownership and stewardship very seriously. It was a major factor in their break with Great Britain at the time. John Adams explained, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral … people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Further, Benjamin Franklin explained, “As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” Both Cantonese sides of this argument are based in falsehoods. Because the nation has lost sight of such morals or virtues as the proper care of property, and the proper role of government, the people find themselves continually relying upon tyrannous solutions to their problems.

Action Items

1. Control your life so no one else will. Learn how a person in the Abundance Paradigm maintains his stewardships and resolve to act in such ways. Strive to improve where you see necessary.
2. If your neighbor is struggling to keep his yard up to your standards, resolve not to resort to tyrannical measures to get him to comply, whether personally or collectively. Rely upon rational persuasion to help him/her change perspective.
3. Encourage those in city and county leadership positions to refrain from the same tyrannical opportunities. This may require first establishing meaningful relationships with those leaders in order to invite them to rational discussions on the matters, rather than just being another shrill voice in the crowd.

MRFC Principles:   (3, 4, 11, 12, 13)

Resources

Ed Balint, Canton Council proposes jail time for tall grass, CantonRep.com, May 20, 2008.

Associated Press, Mow your lawn…or risk jail time in Canton, Ohio, Yahoo! News, June 3, 2008.

John Adams quote as printed in 5000 Year Leap, by W. Cleon Skousen, 1981, seventh printing 2006 by National Center for Constitutional Studies, p. 56.

Benjamin Franklin quote as printed in The Real Benjamin Franklin, published by NCCS, 1982, p. 497.