'Code enforcement' is a violation of residents' rights

You can tell how seriously someone takes property rights by whether they support “code enforcement.”

“Code enforcement” is a euphemism for government violating residents’ property rights. It’s an inexcusable justification for government to steal property or to violate other rights. Government has no rights and can never be a victim, so government isn’t owed anything for a violation. A “fine” is nothing but legalized theft used to punish. Yes, it’s a common practice but “common” can’t make it right. This sort of behavior has no place in a free country.

Making up property codes, and enforcing them, is one of the most unneighborly things you can do to others. It’s as bad as vandalism, theft, or squatting in their home and eating their food.

I care about people taking care of their property, but I care about their property rights and their liberty even more. If you won’t respect property rights you can’t claim to have a functional society.

If someone’s property is a credible threat to another individual’s life, liberty, or property, it is up to the one who is being harmed to seek a solution. Getting government involved is never the right way to do it.

To send government against someone for using their private property as they see fit, against your wishes, is a communistic way to behave. It places government opinions above individual rights.

Respecting property rights means you must accept that people have a right to use their property in ways you may not like. It’s their property, not yours. Your property rights end at your property line. Their property doesn’t belong to society collectively and it most certainly doesn’t belong to government. This means none of these entities have a right to tell the owners how they are allowed to use their property. Not unless property ownership is a lie.

Although, since you are forced to pay a yearly ransom to government in the form of “property taxes” to prevent armed government employees from stealing your property, this does seem to be the case. This must change.

Generally, a renewed emphasis on code enforcement only means some politician or legislation enforcer wants to make a name for themselves. It usually passes when the root cause -- which isn’t the excuse used -- has worn out and the program has served its real purpose. Unfortunately, by then it has harmed many property owners. Some beyond recovery.

Liberty is messy, but every alternative is worse.

— Kent McManigal writes for Clovis Media Inc.