I stirred up a bit of controversy with my article about the proposal to require a farmer to have the government’s permission to lease his land to a solar farm.

One fellow wrote me that he agreed the idea didn’t sound like something government needed to do. But then he added what government really should do is pass regulations telling the farmers what the leases ought to say – for example, how to dispose of solar cells.

So now, instead of a permit, we have government dictating leases to farmers?

Is that conservative?

Why shouldn’t the farmer have the freedom to handle his own business dealings?

It’s a fact I have yet to meet a government employee I would recommend a property owner use for real estate advice.