Big Green Lies

Thomas Sowell gets to the root of the housing cost problem in his new column, Green Liars:

First, it doesn't exist in most of the US, where developable land is abundant and the market is sensible, natural and unconstrained.

Second, where there is a crisis, it's largely due to the impacts of environmentalist policies on supply and demand.

Their meddling might be called "urban limit lines" or "open space initiatives" or "greenbelt plans," but they're all the same -- artificial constraints on the natural economy so that they can enjoy a perceived benefit at the expense of those who now must pay more for a home, or can no longer afford a home.

And for what? "To save the last remaining patch of natural space ...." Funny thing: It's never the last remaining patch. There's always another patch that's even more important to save. That's what happens when you live in a country like ours, in which all our urban development covers only five percent of our landmass.

Why save it? At first it was because of critters, but they kept finding more critters everywhere they looked. So now its "wildlife connectivity" to ensure "ongoing genetic diversity."

Trouble is, when you put a motion-sensitive camera on these parcels, they don't show wildlife connecting over it. (I did see a grainy film clip of a CHP officer taking a roadside bladder break on one, though!)

No, the real reason why they want to save it is to keep it they way they like it so they can get a good feeling from, first, a bit of nature, and second, a victory over the big, bad developers. Neither reason has anything to do with biodiversity or sustainability.

Sowell wraps it up:

Some of the biggest hysteria about "saving" land is found in places where most of the land is already off-limits to building. Some of the biggest crocodile tears about a need to "preserve farmland" come from people who are not farmers and who know little and care less about farming.

Chronic agricultural surpluses that cost the taxpayers billions show that there is too much farmland producing more than the market can absorb while the growing of these surplus crops puts all sorts of chemicals into the ground, water and air. But the green liars don't mention that.

Their real agenda is keeping out other people. Home builders who would enable other people to move into their community are called selfish and greedy. Green liars consider themselves morally far superior to "developers."