Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…

There’s rumors on the Internets, as they say, that property rights supporters are going to revive Washington’s Initiative 933 and California’s Proposition 90. And it hasn’t even been a week since the election!

I mention this for two reasons. First, I’ve been dying for chance to write the phrase Whac-A-Mole—and this is really the perfect opportunity. Second, it underscores the extent to which we need to continue improving our understanding of property, fairness, individual rights, and community.

We’ll also need to take a hard look at our current policies. Are they unfair? Are they unclear? And, if so, what can we do about fixing them?

That’s the subject of a thoughtful piece in today’s Seattle Times. The article centers on a rural property owner, who’s also one of Sightline’s “property rights” guest bloggers, Arie van der Hoeven. I think his point is worth taking seriously:

“Initiative 933 isn’t the solution,” van der Hoeven says, “but there is a problem.”

…many foes, like van der Hoeven, also acknowledged there was some truth to what I-933’s backers were saying: Land-use rules aren’t always fair.