"Property Rights and Responsibility"

Property Rights and Responsibility

 All private property rights are completely dependent on the community. We maintain a right to our land only because we can record a deed at the county courthouse, which is supported by the community. We enforce our property rights through a legal system supported by the community. Our property would be worthless without roads and electric and telephone lines built by the community. We are safe and secure in our homes because of police and fire departments organized by the community.

 Just as the community makes it possible for us to enjoy our property, each community has the right – the obligation, in fact- to ensure private property is used in ways that will benefit the long –term public interest.

 Save Our Land Save Our Towns by Thomas Hylton

 I very highly recommend reading: “Save Our Land Save Our Towns” by Thomas Hylton. It’s in all our Libraries. There is also a videocassette “Saving Pennsylvania, Save our Lands Save our Towns” in our libraries. "Saving Pennsylvania, Save our Lands Save our Towns" was a PBS Television special program. 

Also see:

SAVE OUR LAND, SAVE OUR TOWNS

“Save Our Land, Save Our Towns was founded by Tom Hylton to facilitate change — change in private attitudes, change in public policy. Through education and advocacy, the non-profit champions the use of:

• regional planning 

• growth boundaries 

• traditional town design 

to protect rural areas and encourage the redevelopment of cities and towns that house people of all ages, races and incomes.”

 Also keep in mind that virtually all land use law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania  is decided locally by municipalities and school boards. What is left over are State Parks and State Forests and National Parks and Forests; State and Federal roadways and Defense Department Property. That comes to about 4,000 different government organizations deciding all land use in Pennsylvania.