[MD] Capitalism: A Question of Morality

[Khaled Alkotob]

[Dan]
> 
> What is the right thing for the land? What about the farmer who now 
> leases 
> the land for crop production - isn't he entitled to some small 
> measure of 
> loyalty?
> 
> How would you advise Roy? What would the MOQ say about this?


Hello Dan and Case.

Great question for this day and age, takes us of the topic of politics. I
hope.

Well I live here in California's Central Valley where things get even
more complicated. Do to what is know here as proposition 13, the taxes
are assessed on the land by the original purchase price. So if he bought
it at 1,000 and now it's worth a million, well he only pays taxes on the
$1,000.

But here, instead of farming it, he can get a subsidy from the government
not to farm, or he can get a payment from the water district to leave it
un farmed and sell his water rights to someone else, or he can pump his
ground water and sell it to Los Angeles.

Dan, the word you are looking for here is stewardship. Do you really own
that land ( insert Chief Seattle's speech here) or are you merely the
care taker. What is known as silicon valley used to be some of the most
productive farm land in CA. No one is doubting the benefits the computer
industry has brought the state, the nation and the world. The question
could it have been built somewhere else.

Then you have the issue of food production. How many more acres can we
pave over before Soylent Green is the only thing on the menu.

It's his land, and he should, and has the right to do as he pleases. Let
me repeat that for Platt's benefit. It's his land and he can do with it
as he pleases. Let me repeat that for Platt one more time: It's his land
he can do with as he wishes.

A few other options are:

1. Help his friend start the nursery
2. Work a deal with the county where the land is declared " insert proper
term here" and have it tax exempt as long as it's not developed.
3. Find local growers who are willing to work a co-op on it and raise
high value cash crops. The legal kind of course.
4. Agri-tourism of sort.
5. Case mentioned the Nature conservancy.
6. As open spaces get scarce, Private parks might be the thing of the
future. You can have the vice president over for hunting trips.

It's a hard question, and unfortunately the "right answer" does not equal
$$$$.

But again for Platt's benefit: It's his land and he can do with it what
he wants.

And of course what is making this land what it is, is that fact that's in
private ownership and not an open prairie or state owned Should there be
a building moratorium. Can the county step in and force people to leave
open green spaces. Can the land be declared for ag use only.

Finally this comes to mind:
Ko.yaa.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi language), n. 1. Crazy life. 2. Life in
turmoil. 3. Life disintegrating. 4. Life out of balance. 5. A state of
life that calls for another way of living. 



Khaled