Surprise! Construction Slows as Government Violates Rights

A recent report by Denver’s ABC affiliate illustrates one of the many problems resulting from bureaucrats violating rights by throttling construction:

Tens of millions of dollars in private sector construction projects are bottlenecked because the City and County of Denver isn't approving permits fast enough to meet the demand, a CALL7 Investigation has found.

Contractors say while work on commercial and residential properties around Denver is plentiful, they often must wait months for bureaucrats to approve their paperwork so they can get started.

Meanwhile, as Complete Colorado points out, Denver has fast-tracked permits for political popular projects such as solar installations. That article argues, “The city should take its thumb off the scale when it comes to zoning and permits.”

Government has no moral right to require contractors or property owners to get permits to build on their property. In this sphere, the only role government should play is (a) to protect the rights of individuals and businesses to develop their property as they see fit and (b) to prohibit fraud, negligence, and the like.

If residents of Denver and Americans in general want to see construction and other aspects of the economy boom rather than bust, they must demand that their representatives work to limit government to its only proper function: the protection of rights—including property rights.

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Related:

• Deeper Than Kelo: The Roots of the Property Rights Crisis
• Get Government Out of Beer

About Ari Armstrong

Ari Armstrong blogs at AriArmstrong.com, and he has written for publications including the Denver Post and Complete Colorado. He is the author of Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles, a book exploring the heroic fight for life-promoting values in the Potter novels.

View all articles by Ari Armstrong →