Eminent Domain Abuse

[Thy Geekdom Come]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/21/hotel-conference-center-trump-private-property-eminent-domain-case/

Welcome to socialism on a more local, friendly level.

[homeschoolmom]

Nothing new here... Several years ago, a neighboring city took the land away from a long-time car dealership because that city needed a new Best Buy headquarters.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='21 April 2010 - 01:33 PM' timestamp='1271871190' post='2097403']
Nothing new here... Several years ago, a neighboring city took the land away from a long-time car dealership because that city needed a new Best Buy headquarters.
[/quote]
Yeah, I know Walmart was behind something like this in Phoenix a few years ago. Still...it's disgusting.

I know now why my father always said, "life isn't fair." It was a mantra he must have repeated to keep himself calm when croutons like this happened.

[cmotherofpirl]

This is nothing new, years ago a whole section of Pittsburgh was taken to put in the Civic Arena. In my town they called it "urban redevelopment" and destroyed whole sections of our downtown which is still empty today. The only difference is that they have found a way to make more money by stealing other peoples property.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

One more sign that our politicians think they're playing SimCity.

[CatherineM]

If eminent domain is used for private developers, at the very least, they should be required to put the entire amount for the development into trust so that later if things change, they can't say the funding fell through.

[Winchester]

Eminent Domain only applies to the Ruler, not to private interests. Any use outside of that is clearly abuse of private property. Using it for private developers is simply a way to cheat people out of proper compensation by a commercial entity. Even when used for government property expansion, it should be done sparingly and should cost the private owner nothing to move to an equal or better (in all ways) property. If the government cannot accomplish that, then it has no right to exercise the [i]privilege [/i]of Eminent Domain. Simple reduction in land should be compensated at well above the value of the land, if the owner opts to not require the government to move him entirely.

The citizens in this case would be well within their rights to resist physically if the government decides to violate their rights. The Supreme Court decision regarding this was wrong, and proof that our supreme court judges are damned morons.

[Maximilianus]

Is there a such thing as owning land anyways? Don't pay your property tax and see what happens.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Maximilianus' date='22 April 2010 - 12:45 AM' timestamp='1271915107' post='2097855']
Is there a such thing as owning land anyways? Don't pay your property tax and see what happens.
[/quote]
Yea, property tax seems pretty unjustified to me. It seems based on the assumption that you're really just renting or leasing your land at the government's discretion and benevolence. I mean, I see the arguments for utility taxes and infrastructure taxes and whatnot, but I don't see how the government can claim that you owe them money merely by living on land that you supposedly own (and paid for).

[Sternhauser]

"Eminent domain" [i]is[/i] [i]itself [/i]an abuse.

~Sternhauser

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Sternhauser' date='22 April 2010 - 09:50 AM' timestamp='1271944203' post='2097974']
"Eminent domain" [i]is[/i] [i]itself [/i]an abuse.

~Sternhauser
[/quote]
I don't think the Church would agree, but I do think that the Church would say eminent domain is being used way too broadly.

[CatherineM]

With true stewardship philosophy, we don't "own" our land. We are renting it from the almighty. Governments have taken always taken land when they really wanted it. My French ancestors were kicked off their land for becoming Protestants, my Irish ancestors for staying Catholic. I'd like to take out my front lawn and turn it into a vegetable garden, but you are required to have a certain amount of lawn. I'd like to turn my patio into a green house, but the condo rules prohibit it. I'd also like to have chickens and ducks, but don't get me started on how many rules object to that.

[Winchester]

[quote name='Maximilianus' date='22 April 2010 - 01:45 AM' timestamp='1271915107' post='2097855']
Is there a such thing as owning land anyways? Don't pay your property tax and see what happens.
[/quote]
They put a lein in Texas, and when you sell it or die, they get their money.

To own property indicates riches--it's perfectly acceptable to tax the rich.

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Raphael' date='22 April 2010 - 08:53 AM' timestamp='1271944403' post='2097976']
I don't think the Church would agree, but I do think that the Church would say eminent domain is being used way too broadly.
[/quote]

The Church can never describe how broad eminent domain could morally be. But it [i]has[/i] already said "robbery is immoral." And that a good end does [i]not[/i] justify evil means.

~Sternhauser

Edited April 23, 2010 by Sternhauser

[Winchester]

And she has neglected to condemn government as evil.