July 4th - a parting quote from the Anti-Planner - Granite Grok

July 4th – a parting quote from the Anti-Planner

“The Anti-Planner” is the online monniker for Randall O’Toole (whom I have interviewed in the past on MTNP) who is associated with the Cato Institute and researches, opines, and presents on the wrongs that are committed by land use planners and “Smart People” who believe they have better ideas of how we should live due to their degrees and credentials (think: HUD’s / EPA’s / DOT’s “Granite State Future“).  He also points out that often, their decisions turn out to be flat out wrong and that in leaving such decisions to, you know, people simply living their lives with only a very light touch “by the professionals” turn out to be more optimal.

His thoughts as to how the future should go:

It would be nice to live in a free country where the government doesn’t spy on its own citizens, lie about it, and then try to prosecute the person who caught them in the lie.

It would be nice to live in a responsible country where people tried to find the best solutions to problems rather than use those problems as a way of promoting their preconceived agendas.

It would be nice to live in a tolerant country where mobility, homeownership, private property rights, and wealth creation were celebrated rather than demonized.

We don’t live quite in that country, but I encourage everyone to use Independence Day to resolve to make our country that way. Best wishes for the rest of the year.

In other words, decentralization from government and away from central planning bodes well instead of seeing them as “Really Good Public Good” poliies

(H/T: The Anti-Planner)

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