Dear Editor:

Recently our town, state, and world governments decided it has become necessary to expand regulatory control of private property for the health and safety ... and welfare and fuel efficiency and sustainable green environmental development and smart growth and comprehensive land use and social engineering andiInventory control of all standard, predictable, uniform, code compliant construction of ... everything.

Big job! A new bureaucracy would be needed and the money to staff it. Implementing a system of mandated permits and inspections takes more money. It would require sufficient power to confiscate and control all new construction and the fees, fines and punishments necessary to bring code compliance to all us private property owners.

Another big job! But government is up to the task. Now we have the code enforcement department protecting us from the hazards of unsafe construction by seizing our property and money and threatening to destroy the project unless we comply with the codes. Resistance is futile. So I’ve been told. I am sure it’s coincidental, but seizing money and property by threat of force is the dictionary definition of extortion.  You can look it up.

Lately there are hints that property owners might be getting a tax cut. That takes lots of time and politicking even if it’s just a rumor. If our legislature were serious about letting us keep our money and property rights they would eliminate the code enforcement department. If anyone chooses to have their home code compliant our building inspectors can accommodate them.

Here is a question:  Who lobbied for these regulations in the first place?  Public employees who make a living enforcing them, but the most benefited group can be noted from a line in one of the code enforcement department reports: “Mandatory inspections compliment the contractor’s experience.” Think about that.

Consider the millions, perhaps billions, of dollars property owners could keep without mandatory code enforcement, plus the satisfaction of staving off Agenda 21 and the New World Order and I could get my home back.

David Lee

Boothbay