Posted on 04/20/2011 1:08:56 AM PDT by sinanju
This is called, of course, “eminent domain.” The Constitution’s Fifth Amendment allows the government to take private property for “public use,” so long as “just compensation” is paid. In the infamous 2005 Kelo decision, the Supreme Court held that “public use” could include, well, private use, so long as the new property owner paid more in taxes than the previous one. In other words, it allowed developers and the government to gang up on homeowners. The developer gets more land, the government gets more tax money. The only losers are the original owner and his property rights.
A decade and a half ago, it was fresh on everyone’s mind that Donald Trump is one of the leading users of this form of state-sanctioned thievery. It was all over the news. In perhaps the most-remembered example, John Stossel got the toupéed one to sputter about how, if he wasn’t allowed to steal an elderly widow’s house to expand an Atlantic City casino, the government would get less tax money, and seniors like her would get less “this and that.” Today, however, it takes a push from the Club for Growth to remind us of Trump’s lack of respect for property rights.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Is Donald Trump the GOP Obama?
Well, that would mean he would win the Presidency. I don’t think he has a chance. If he is the GOP nominee we’re going to get shellacked. He’s more like the GOP Dukakis.
Now we see some Freepers suggesting that criticism of comb-over boy (far, Far, FAR more to criticize in his case than in Palin's) is attributable to Mitt-worship.
Seriously, some people need to get over their Romney fixation.
you said: “Trump-chumps are so happy about the birth certificate’s being discussed that they can’t be bothered to learn anything about their boy. Rather like Obama voters, don’t you think?”
You are 100% right on. It shows the danger of “kool aid” drinkers versus supporters. The Trump Kool Aiders are scary. So are the Palin “kool aid” drinkers. Now I like what Trump is doing, and I have liked Sarah Palin before she was a twinkle in McCain’s eye. But the kool aiders who slam anyone who questions these folks perfection are mind blowing. MUCH like Obama Trons.
“Donald Trump wants to take away your cheap Chinese imports!”
A powerful slogan that cuts to the heart of our self-interest but one the WalMart-hating libs would never use.
Thank you for reminding us.
For Trump, Trump trumps all else.
As far as ‘bam’s concerned, Jerome Corsi may have the goods.
So thanks Trump, but I’m sure you’ve got more pressing matters elsewhere.
Don’t let the door....
Believe it or not, a few years back I once say a B&W coffee-table book in a used bookstore specifically dedicated to large commercial edifices built over the twentieth-century that had to be radically modified to work around some little house or church that wouldn’t sell out to the developer. It made for some charming aesthetics.
Imagine anything like that happening in this day and age. Wish I remembered the title.
The Trump phenomena may not last much longer. He’s a ninety-day wonder candidate whose early notoriety will flare out and be forgotten. Think Howard Dean. Or maybe not, I was paying careful attention and recall the lib media turning on Dean almost two weeks to the day after NR ran a cover article of him in full red-faced yawp with the title “Nominate this Man!”.
They read the article and decided Dean was indeed a nutso liability who would never get elected. Otherwise the scream in Iowa would never have gained traction.
As for The Donald, more and more conservative media are simply quoting his remarks and actions back to us. I think sanity will quickly return. Especially as the more mainstream Republican candidates find their mojo.
I think the Republican campaign will be a snooze-fest unless Trump is in it. It certainly would guarantee more people would watch the GOP debates.
No. We're just being played by the powers that be. They promote those they want, and suppress those they do not. That is the job of the media. If they were to start promoting actual conservatives, they'd find themselves dropped from the country-club and party circuits.
I can’t say I ever disagreed with the Federal Courts interpenetration of “eminent domain.” as only applying to the Federal Government.
Constitutionally speaking that is exactly the case. If you want to similarly limit your State Government either don’t give em that power or specifically redact that power in your State Constitution.
As a policy I am hesitate to criticize someone for their personal business choices as long as its legal. It does say something about Trumps “kindness” that he would willingly work with a city willing to do this for him, but if we are to rely upon the “kindness of goverment” to protect us from that government’s excesses we are in real trouble.
I didn’t really express myself sufficiently, I’m sorry. What I meant to imply was that as Obama was not the candidate that many of his supporters hoped he was and that he appears to really want to knock this country of it’s moorings, perhaps Trump would not only expose the usurper for what he is, he would continue and accelerate the slide that Obama has set us on.
Not a really great analogy I admit, but hey, it’s early still, lol.
I agree with you, nothing good can come of the Donald’s full participation. I really don’t think that he’ll go through with it though, I don’t think that Trump could live with the constraints that the White House would put on him. Hell, the Obama’s can’t do it now.
Seems that “we” Republicans are so desirous of someone with ca-hones that we now accept Trump...geesh.
Oh well, maybe sign of the times....
Do I really have to state that he has NO Conservative principles, NO Republican principles, and several Democratic principles...
If you really are going to fall for Trump, you should not be in the Republican Party - certainty not in the Conservative Party.
Warts and all I’ll be voting Trump in primaries and beyond. He can raise the millions and beat Obama and your guy can’t. Who is your guy? Mitt? Huckster? Pawlenty? Who is your gal?
Trump tried this in Fresno County. He wanted to revive the Running Horse Golf Course project which had been abandoned and was greatly distressed. Along with that he offered to build in downtown Fresno which needs a lot of help.
But an Asian man from LA owned the acreage that Trump needed to build more facilities near the course. He wasn’t a “holdout,” he merely wanted to be paid for his land.
It was strongly tempting to our Fresno city leaders, including conservative mayor Alan Autry (Bubba from “In the Heat of the Night”), to pressure the man to give up his land for a low price. The newspaper, Fresno Magazine, radio and TV people were all pressing for the deal.
But after all kinds of wrangling, the owner said he wanted $38K per acre, the going rate for Central Valley farm land with water rights. The Donald didn’t want to pay that much, and asked Fresno City/County to condemn the land using eminent domai. Both entities said no despite the prestige and money it would have brought us, citing lack of authority to take land that way.
I was always proud of them for standing up for the Constitution in a state that seems to want to ignore or repeal our founding document. God bless them all.
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