guttboy: 1) are you a pilot?
2) just how much to you think it costs to operate a private plane for an hour? Probably more money and
time than most families with children likely to be using parks would care to spend.
"I would recommend selling the damn island to the highest bidder but while it's a public property, use as park does look like a better "common good" use to me.
I think we sell your home or your parent's home or your favorite spot "FOR THE COMMON GOOD". Don't be obtuse. However much you and other marxists
prefer to have all property nationalised and used by elite, what I recommended is a perfectly legal and common in this country. Plenty of public property was privatised at one point or another and ended up serving public interests better then when it was mismanaged by politicians. Disneyland is a private company the last time I checked. The inhabitants of Ghicago have complete right to dispose of their communal property as they wish and sell it on my or anyone's advice. Unlike my house which is my private proplerty and cannot be legally sold by anyone but me in normal circumstances.
If the citizens of NYC do decide they really need to build a highway, etc. where my house is standing, the city council can certainly vote eminent domain and make me give it up for an appropriate compensation.
What you might consider the common good is not always the prevailing opinion. How about we shut down Boston Logan airport...its technically an island....make it into luxury condos and a park...for the common good. I have no opinion on the utility of BLA to the Chicago inhabitants. I make no blank statements that all public property should be privatised even in a libertarian state. Do not attribute ignorant or stupid ideas to me to make your arguments easier - I have plenty of my own, thank yo.
What you apparently are not realising is that my "wild" plan of turning the island into park is actually what a duly-elected mayor of Chicago representing the will of majority of Chicago people is actually doing - after making his plans public for 8 years.
He had to do it under cover of the night exactly becasue a democracy and law-disrespecting radical minority would have staged some action that would have delayed the works and caused extra expence.
No one is saying destroy Central park or Brooklyn's Prospect park and make either an airport. And it was probably a stupid idea to destroy the artificially created park island to build Meigs airport.
Depending on where you rent or learn to fly an hour of flight time in a Cessna 172 can be as cheap as $29.00 depending on if you are in an aero club or prevailing rates. Not that expensive considering you are using a computer ($$), you have internet ($$), you play Aces high I assume ($$).....some people would consider your hobby for the wealthy. Have you tried raising children? What is the money equivalent of not having your children play on the grass for days or weeks because the nearest open space is far away and the closest park was diverted for luxury use by hobbyists?
How much does the extra travel time cost? What is the money equivalent of the traffic accident risk trying to get out to a faraway park? How much would a life insirance increase (neccesarry thing if you have children) if you are an amateur pilot?
I know tons of people who make minimum wage and still find the time to enjoy private flying!!!!! Why take that away from them???? To bring more enjoyment to more people from the use of the park? There is no clear-cut decision here that would make one side or the other absolutely true or false.
The disoposal of the private property in the free market is decided by the market prices and supply/demand.
The public property is disposed off through elected officials making decisions on behalf of the electorate. In any case they would be unsatisfied people. C'est la vie!
miko
