What Private Property?
Apparently the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) has become jealous of all the attention I've been showing Ameren lately, and has decided to make a play for the number one spot on my list of most hated public utilities.
We live in a world of easements. [easement, noun: an interest in land owned by another that entitles its holder to a specific limited use or enjoyment] Public utilities justify the existence of easements because of the potential benefit to everyone. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, as they see it. That would be bad enough, but the reality is, even though by law an easement means co-ownership, or jointly held rights to a piece of land, the public utility has full ownership of *all* land, and it is up to them which land they allow you to use and which land they keep for themselves. So it is far from a 50-50 proposition. For if a utility has a use for a piece of your property, it will become an easement and under their exclusive control, regardless of your feelings on the matter. Does that sound like co-ownership to you?
Craig Berry is a nice enough fellow. He is a Right of Way Agent for MSD and he recently came to my house to "negotiate" an easement on a piece of my property. He actually used the word "negotiate," and I can tell by the way he said it that he really believes that this is what he does. His job is to "negotiate" easements. I asked him if I don't have the option of saying no, is it really a negotiation? He didn't have an answer. That's because his job is easement acquisition. Using his brain, and actually thinking about what his job means to the rights of individuals, is not a part of his job description.
I'll keep you posted as this saga unfolds. The work is not even scheduled yet, but eventually MSD will be tearing up my back yard to put in a new sewer line, and I have absolutely no say in whether or not it happens. So my question is, why bother calling it an easement? Why pretend that the rights to my property are jointly held? Does that make it easier for the Craig Berry's of the world to sleep at night? I'd prefer a little honesty. Just call it what it is: seizure of private property without regard to the rights of the property owner. I think that's called theft.
Well now that more of the story is known to me I can see why you are upset. Yet, I am sure you have been paying a property tax on this land for many years which is the prima facia evidence that you DO NOT OWN this particular piece of land. Who owns it? Why the one you are paying the extortion to of course. Have you even once objected in writing to the tendering of this bailment (tax)? Probably not. So it must not be that important to you since you are obviously aware that you are merely a renter with an equitable interest in the property. Here is what I think, you are waking up and cannot accept the truth about your position regarding land ownership in the "free" world.
Thanks for the comment, Jim. You are preaching to the choir for the most part. But I would be interested to hear how you propose one stop paying their "rent" without getting evicted. Shoot, if I had known all I had to do was object in writing to paying the tax, and they would leave me alone, I would have done that years ago! Thanks, Jim! :)