To the editors:
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The right to own property is why this country’s economic system has dramatically outperformed those which limit or outlaw private property ownership. Ownership does not simply “happen,” as Joravsky appears to believe: It is the direct result of hard work and productive behavior. Property rights are earned, not given (or taken away) by neighbors, committees, or journalists.
Property rights can work to the benefit of preservationists who believe that some buildings have more value to “the community” (i.e., the preservationists themselves) than to their private owners. Let the preservationists establish an Historic Preservation Corporation, buy the buildings, and lease them to responsible tenants willing to abide by the preservationists’ terms. The corporation could thus preserve the buildings while at the same time preserving something far more valuable–property rights.
