So I had this brilliant idea a few weeks ago, that seemed like it could help alleviate a number of major national issues. It would create jobs, decrease homelessness, and generate revenue for the government, at no immediate cost to them. What was this brilliant idea? To bring back the Homesteading Act, that originally motivated Americans to populate the Western United States. Instead of 160 acre parcels, they could be closer to ten acres, just enough for sustenance farming as opposed to large commercial operations. There would be a requirement to build your own small house, with well and septic within a few years in order to keep the property. There would be commercial areas developed like townships used to be, except farther apart since we can travel by car instead of horses now. Those commercial parcels could be sold for decent prices, since the influx of development and building would provide new markets for goods. Imagine a lot of Home Depots popping up in those areas.
So if people are willing to work, they can show up their, register for a claim, and get started. Developing a claim would require some money, but it is likely that neighbors who are better funded will be looking for assistance with their own projects. Helping there will be a good place to start, to acquire both resources and experience. So unsurprisingly, community would be the factor to make it all work.
I had been working on sorting out some of the details in my head over the last few weeks, when I made an interesting discovery. This is not a new idea. There was an attempt to re-institute homesteading at a Federal level a few years ago, but didn't make it through Congress. Instead, a number of states and smaller communities have implemented similar systems, to give away public land to stimulate growth. So much for my novel new idea. There are places out there giving away free land to those who want to homestead on it. But for the most part, those locations are areas that are not particularly pleasant to live in, which is why the incentives are being created.
But it is still an interesting concept to think about. I am doing something similar to what has become known as modern homesteading, but without the free land. The modern movement is about creating an independent and sustainable lifestyle that allows one to be more self reliant. I have been developing my own garden to grow a portion of my own food, with rainwater collection and irrigation reserves. And most of my appliances are propane, which could allow me to run off of solar power in the future.
So the discovery of that established homesteading subculture has provided a lot of new resources and ideas for my projects around the property. Not like I wasn't busy enough before, but there are definitely a few new items on the to-do list. But I have been learning better ways to do a variety of the things I had already been planning, so it evens out a bit. But I won't be running out of things to do anytime soon, if ever.
