>>1074587
Here's my view.
Because the country is constituted of "the people," the government of the country is constituted of "the people" and therefore "the country" itself is the possession of the people. "The country" is the land, and therefore the people automatically and axiomatically own the land. This is why "property tax" is a betrayal of everything the Founders established, but that's a different discussion.
Because "the people" only own "the land" en masse in theory (read: in law) and not in practice, someone needs to manage the legal certification of direct, individual ownership of land. Enter the government. The government exists to keep, on file, copies of titles and deeds showing exactly whom owns exactly what land. Thus, when arguments arise, people should be able to turn to the government to view deed/claim/titles to see the exact boundaries and borders of owned land and make the determination of ownership. The ONLY time payment should be involved is when an individual processes the initial filing (with the government) of what land he wants to own, defining borders and area. Payment has to be per unit of area (acreage, square mileage, square footage, etc.) to prevent someone from claiming ownership over an entire state. Otherwise, and assuming the land is being used in accordance with other laws, the government has no authority over who can own what land or where.
<"But wouldn't that restart all the Indio wars as white settlers move onto "reservations" because they want to?"
Yes, and? Kill them all.