10/14/04, 02:50 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Missouri
Posts: 116
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My two cents worth...
#1 - definition of steal (according to Webster's) 1. to take (another's property,
etc.) dishonestly, especially in a secret manner.
- definition of a thief (again, according to Webster's) a person who steals;
especially secretly.
I'd say that pretty much wraps up the question of whether what you are doing is stealing. You are scheming to take something that - by your own admission - does not belong to you, but to someone else. You even plan to do it secretly because if the corporation who owns the land finds out before enough time passes for you to use the right of adverse possesion against them, you will be out on the street.
#2 - You are not even a "squatter" because the dictionary defines squatter very explicitly as "one who settles on public land under government regulations so as to get title to it". This is not public land, but private; and you are not using government regulations to get title to public land. You are hoping to steal (by definition) land from its legitimate owner using antiquated laws that depend on the true owner simply not noticing you for an extended period of time.
#3 - You hope to gain sympathy by crying about how unfair it is that this big corporation owns the land and you don't. If it works, write a book. There are a lot of us "little people" out here who would love to take over some really nice properties that happen to be owned by big corporations. We don't think it is fair either.
#4 - All the above comments are meant to be reality checks. Continue to #5.
#5 - Many of us here would love to see the big corporations - especially developers of pristine land with old growth forests - brought down a peg or two, so we can sympathize with that desire. However, trying to do it through illegal and unethical scheming only makes you one of them. Try to find an honest way to save this place. There are many reasons why local, state, or even federal groups would be interested in buying this parcel to save it. Historic groups, environmental groups (like the Nature Conservancy) or even area residents who might like to turn it into a park, are all good possibilities. Go to them and see if you can set up some sort of fund to buy the place, or get one of the major groups to buy it outright or lobby to protect it under the current ownership. There are a lot of ways to save a place without trying to steal it!
#6 - You have more money in the bank than most people in search of a quiet homesteading life have to start with. What are you waiting for? Look at real estate in more inaccessible areas (most people want to be close to power lines and city water or "on blacktop". Go to the hills and woods - places that advertise "off the beaten track" or "need 4-wheel drive". Those are always cheaper - and for a lover of the natural world, so much more appealing anyway! There are a lot of places you can buy outright for that kind of money, and even if you have to go the down payment route, it will get you far enough toward having it paid that you may be able to work out small monthlys or get some owner financing.
Also: If you are willing to live somewhere other than Texas, I know of a lot of places where $9,000 would buy a very nice chunk of land. You can always live in a tent while you build a small cabin. (I know - that's what we did.)
#7 - You are making excuses because you want something NOW instead of later, and deep down inside, you have to know that. Stop complaining. Get up and do something about your situation. You are in a far better place than most of the rest of the world. (I have personally seen people who lived in cardboard boxes and drank their water from the effluent running along street curbs!) You have some money; you have vision; and you want good things for yourself and others. Use what you have and get out there and make yourself a life. Don't try to steal it, because in the long run you will be taking it from yourself. Good Luck!
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