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January 17, 2012

My LHD objection: the people in charge

To the editor:

In your Jan. 11 edition, all three letters were in favor of the historic district movement. Hmmm. Must be a really good thing. Even the guy from Hoboken thinks so.

So let me go on record too: I love preserving historic things. I love the marvelous sea captain houses on High Street. I love my old house and the unique glories of Old South Church and the other city churches from a bygone era. And I have actively supported preserving historic places like Gettysburg, the Alamo and Little Bighorn battlefield.

But that's not what this movement really is. The thing about the people who desire to tell the rest of us how to live is, they're smart: they never label a thing by its real name. Obama calls his new favorite legislation the "Jobs Bill." Who on earth can possibly be against jobs? But what if he called it what it really is: "Let's Bankrupt American Taxpayers Bill"? I suspect he'd get less traction on it.

Similarly, our local activists say they want to preserve history. Who could be against that? But what they really want is the power to put their cold thumb of non-compliance on any improvements you or I want to make on our properties. They want us to stand before their politburo, hat in hand, and ask permission to replace or renovate something in our own houses.

So why am I against the LHD? Unnamed, unelected, eternally tenured people telling me what to do with property that I have worked all of my life to buy and now work hard to maintain and pay ever-increasing taxes on. I'm sure this prospective commission will be chock-full of decent, fair-minded citizens who love this city and will not abuse the tremendous power in their hands. But what if they are not? Once they are in place, we the people of Newburyport cannot fire them if they get out of control. Forever and ever, world without end.

One thoughtful writer in the paper says he hates vinyl siding. Fair enough. Me, too. But as much as I hate vinyl, I love freedom more. I have no rights to the property of my neighbors. I expect elected officials to ensure that we all obey zoning laws. Good news: We can change those laws if we want. Better news: We can change those officials.

But we can never change people who are faceless, self-appointed and subject to crony favoritism. Preservation is a good thing. Private property, the basis of most of the improvements in the USA over 200 years, is even better.

K D Chambers

Newburyport

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