[gridlock]

Justice Souter says, "Play Ball!"

[SpaceBar]

Bread and circuses trumped property rights in the waning days of the Roman Empire as well.

[calrighty]

I wonder what percent of fair market value they offered the property owners??

[glorgau]

"We think there are some that we'll have good-faith negotiations with,"

They are getting an "offer they can't refuse".

[freepatriot32]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

List of Ping lists

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[dfwgator]

"Landsnatching . . . land, land, Land, see Snatch. Ah, Hailie vs. United Sates. Hailie: 7, United States: nothing. You see, it can be done!"

[Terriergal]

SICKENING!

"but it's for the public's good entertainment!"

[jennyp]

This is a legitimate government purpose. Remember the Declaration of Independence: "... To preserve these spectator sports, governments are instituted among Men, derivng their just powers from the passion of the fans."

[Pessimist]

They did this here in Cleveland a number of years ago too for Jacob's Field.

Between public funding and eminent domain, the whole stadium thins is way out fo hand.

[freeeee]

Every single last defining characteristic of the relationship between a landlord and a tenant is present between property "owners" in the US and the government.

Tenants pay rent or they are evicted.
Property "owners" pay property tax or they are evicted.

Tenants can only use the premises according to conditions set in their lease.
Property "owners" can only use their land according to conditions set by building/zoning codes.

Landlords can decline to continue a lease, and instead rent to someone willing to pay a higher rent.
Governments can exercise "eminent domain" (thin euphamism for 'nationalization') and give the property to someone willing to pay more taxes.

[sitetest]

"City officials said they expect to file court documents to take over at least some of the 21-acre site in the coming weeks and have $97 million set aside to buy the properties and help landowners relocate. The city made offers to all 23 landowners on the site..."

I don't know how much any particular owner was offered, but this seems to suggest that the average total compensation offered each owner was north of $4 million.

The site is 21 acres, and that suggests that the property was valued, on average, at nearly $5 million per acre.

This is near waterfront in Southeast Washington. Although waterfront property is inherently valuable, Southeast Washington in general is not a very good area.

It appears that the city has at least attempted to treat the owners fairly.

[Protagoras]

What does Bush say? Oh,,silence? Nevermind.

[mewzilla]

Which party, by and large, runs the District....?

[editor-surveyor]

"We think there are some that we'll have good-faith negotiations with,"

Will they be sending in the team that Wesley Clark used in his 'heated' negotiations with the Davidians?

[William Terrell]

"We think there are some that we'll have good-faith negotiations with. . .

Not possible to have "good faith negotiations" when, if they refuse to sell, you will just take their land.

[SunkenCiv]

At least when they're done, they'll be a ball team's worth of people who earn an honest living in DC.

[jpl]

I hate these eminent domain rulings and am a big property rights guy, but I have to confess it's tough for me to dredge up a whole lot of sympathy for the gay nightclubs, bathhouses, and porno dealers down there in that area. This won't be a loss for the city by any stretch.

[Dems_R_Losers]

This whole DC baseball thing is FUBAR. They are condemning properties and proceeding with a publicly funded stadium before they even know who is going to own the team or if that ownership group might have the wherewithal to build the stadium wuth its own money. FedEx Field, where the Redskins play, was completely privately financed by former team owner Jack Kent Cooke.

What a boondoggle - some obscenely rich Washingtonians get to bid on this very valuable franchise knowing that they won't even have to pay a penny for the stadium. Nice work if you can get it!

[Servant of the 9]

City officials said they expect to file court documents to take over at least some of the 21-acre site in the coming weeks and have $97 million set aside to buy the properties and help landowners relocate.

I don't aprove of using imminent Domain to take land for purposes like this, but at over $100.00/sq ft at least they aren't ripping people off financially by paying them a pittance.

So9