Taking my dog out for a walk in my neighborhood, I passed by two grand old houses that were clearly in a state of disrepair. I saw my friend Tony, who lives next to them, and asked what the back story was. He told me about a lady who owned several houses on Capitol Hill, where I live, who moved away but keeps ownership of the houses.
“It’s kind of a fetish thing with her. As soon as the DC government threatens to tear the houses down, she pays her back taxes and they back off,” Tony said.
The houses are eyesores. Their floors are crumbling in. Who knows what goes on inside of them?
Fetish or no, the owner’s actions are irresponsible, a threat to her neighbors’ property and a perfect reason for the government to move in and take action.
Government exists for a reason: To take collective action on behalf of the people when the general welfare requires it.
The story of the abandoned houses got me thinking about the nature of freedom in a multi-cultural society as big and as complex as the United States. The rise of the Tea Party movement has challenged the 20th century consensus for what is and what isn’t the appropriate role for government.
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