Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven
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| Sunny Days in Heaven Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven |
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Saturday, May 01, 2004 Thuggery Not all corruption is greed. Some is ideological as in San Diego. Neal Boortz writes: I can’t remember who first issued the warning, but they were more on-target than they would ever know. No man’s life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session. If quotes won Pulitzers, this one would qualify. Make it a Nobel. Let’s add the United States Supreme Court to this list of entities dangerous to the basic concepts of liberty and to your property rights. In 1795 the Supreme Court described the power of eminent domain as “the despotic power.” Things change. In the mid-1990s the Supreme Court opened a floodgate of government abuse of private property rights with its interpretation of the “public use” restriction on government seizures of private property contained in the Fifth Amendment. The Supremes essentially said that any use of private property that could in any way benefit the public legitimizes the seizure of that property from its rightful owner, including the general catch-all of increasing tax revenue. Since the date of that Supreme Court evisceration of private property rights, local governments have engaged in an orgy of land seizures, often at the behest of private developers, for projects that in no real sense constitute a “public use.” For an example let’s pay a quick visit to San Diego’s popular Gaslamp District. There we will find Ahmed Mesdaq’s Gran Havana Cigar Shop and Coffeehouse. Mesdaq has owned his business in the Gaslamp District for 13 years. He recently spent $2.5 million to purchase and renovate his current location. Someone else, though, has their eyes on Mesdaq’s property. A private developer named GRH LLC wants to build a Marriott Renaissance Hotel on the site of Mesdaq’s business. They have tried to buy his property, but Mesdaq says no. He likes his location, he just spent big bucks renovating it, and he wants to stay there. He feels that he can’t find another suitable location in the district for the price that has been offered. That should be the end of the story. Sadly, it’s not. Enter the San Diego City Council. On April 27th the city council voted to take Mesdaq’s land away from him and hand it over the GRH. The council decided that a nice 334-room Marriott on that property is more to their liking than a cigar and coffee shop because the hotel will generate more in property taxes. Mesdaq will be paid a “fair” amount for his property. “Fair,” as determined by the city council, not the free marketplace. Mesdaq will essentially be out of business. How many members of the San Diego City Council actually managed to stand up for the concept of private property rights? Just one. The vote on the seizure was 8 to 1. Nice going, San Diego. Eminent domain abuse is epidemic across America in the wake of the hideous SCOTUS decision. In Alabaster, Alabama 12 landowners are being forced out of their homes to make way for a Wall Mart. The Alabaster city council wanted the sales tax revenue that the superstore would generate. You would be surprised to learn how many cases of eminent domain abuse across the country involve Wall Marts, though they certainly aren’t alone when it comes to using government to avoid the free market. posted by Mark Butterworth | 1:28 AM | |
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