This commentary is by Spencer Crispe, a resident of West Brattleboro.
I am a ninth-generation Vermonter and am not a hunter, but I do love nature and the outdoors. It is clear that the proposed Purple Paint Law Is elitist and against what Vermont stands for.
We need to keep Vermont more open, not make it easier to shut people out.
Think of how elitist this sounds: Some people are complaining that it is hard to have to go around and put up posted aigns to keep people out. Some people in Vermont have it so good that they don’t even realize what they have. How about a lesson in sharing? Life must be really hard to possess so much real estate that having to walk it to keep others out is a burden.
People throughout the world in places like India and China live practically on top of each other and are afforded no land whatsoever.
Yet in Vermont, some proponents of the proposed Purple Paint Law have it so good that they are actually complaining about having to walk such a long distance to post their sprawling real estate. This is one of the most elitist, NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) things I have ever heard. I am not talking about the elderly and those who have disabilities; of course they should be given consideration if they must post their land.
How about just not posting your land in the first place?
Yes, there are some exceptional circumstances where I believe it is OK and necessary to post one’s land. For example, farmers are the backbone of Vermont and have my deepest respect. Farmers needing to post their land and protect their livestock are one example of an exception; extraordinary safety considerations are another one; another exception is those who are morally opposed to hunting posting their land specifically against hunting.
However, the amount of land that has been posted as private property in Vermont over the past 50 years has increased dramatically. This has significantly diminished recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy the scenic beauty of Vermont.
The whole proposed Purple Paint Law makes Trump’s Border Wall immediately come to mind. We don’t need more walls and we don’t need more ways to shut people out. It is antithetical to Vermont values and the Vermont Constitution.
The Purple Paint Law will lead to confusion with regard to boundaries and between landowners. Plus, it’s a good idea to walk and inspect your land boundaries from time to time, as opposed to just painting it and forgetting about it.
What happens when the purple-painted trees fall over? And should we really be spraying trees with excess paint? This doesn’t sound good for the environment either. Not to mention — when real estate changes hands, how do you “unpost” land smothered with purple paint?
Keep Vermont open! Make your voice known to fight the gross proposed Purple Paint Law.
