Where does democracy come from? Many academics and grant-seeking university students will tell you that democracy is based on rights above all else, and the more rights a democracy enumerates, the stronger it is. However, a modicum of common sense could prove that assumption woefully false and misleading. The fact of the matter is that before I can claim to have rights, I must have some kind of political personhood that is recognized by others - especially more powerful political persons. What could possibly distinguish me from others when it comes to political personhood? The answer is private property.
People have short memories. "No taxation without representation," is not just some American chant from the 1770s, but the fundamental basis of English speaking democracy. 800 years ago, long before the American Revolution, a group of barons, merchants, and common peasants who were armed to the teeth, met upon a hill with King John and demanded that they be consulted before any new taxes were levied on their property. The Magna Carta was a watershed moment for democracy, as it declared that people were capable of owning their property without permission of the King, and so even God's anointed one must seek their permission before relieving them of it.
The concept of ownership is taken for granted today, so much so that entire governments and organizations constantly campaign for everything from food security to gender equality around the world for populations that have no private property. Not to sound callous, but how are these people supposed to establish themselves and grant themselves these rights if they don't own the land they inhabit, or they are barred from owning property by their more powerful neighbours and corrupt leaders?
In fact, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that aboriginals not owning individual private property is a human rights violation, since it leaves them with no way of establishing themselves and securing their family's future. There can be no individual interest on the reserve, as all projects are subject to band and even federal approval. If you're not sure where such abhorrent disregard for private property leads, and you don't feel like flying to Africa, take a drive through a reserve nearby - you'll see what having no ownership does to people and their homes even in a rich country like Canada.
In town, the concept of owning property independent of government approval has lost ground as well. Gun owners have been shouting about this for years, but perhaps it's only becoming more apparent to residents of Prince George as household incomes have increased thanks to development across the North, and families lose more money to our "progressive" taxation system. Even City Hall has gotten on the bandwagon of "soak the property owner" as it embarked on a crusade to track down all rental properties and get its fair share of revenue, no matter how small, by getting the province to share private information.
Ultimately, it is time for people of all ages to wake up and realize that the government's taking of taxes from our private property is a privilege, and no limitation to our property should be accepted without scrutiny. Such an attitude requires not just vigilance, but a willingness to take on more tasks ourselves and to form volunteer communities to address issues in our neighbourhoods. And perhaps that's the greatest reward of standing up for private property: the ability to know that our local and private conditions will be subject to our approval, always.
