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To: Daveinyork

To agree with your definition of ‘taking government money and giving it to team owners” as theft requires assuming that the government purpose is illegitimate. If a government body with power to tax does so, it may be bad policy, but that tax is not on its face, unconstitutional. In like manner, government policies that spend money on stadiums may also be bad policy, but may not be constitutional, unless there is a provision in the state constitution that bans government spending.

Federal government is one of limited powers. State government is one of plenary powers. That means that use of either of those policies is a good idea. There are many bad ideas that are completely constitutional.

That doesn’t mean that the constitutions are flawed though they may be. It means that government is not something that the people allow to run without supervision.

Subsidy of a business by a government may be bad policy without being theft.


74 posted on 12/28/2011 8:26:17 AM PST by donmeaker (e is trancendentall)
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To: donmeaker
Let me clean that up. I apologize for my sloppiness.

To agree with your definition of "taking government money and giving it to team owners” as theft requires assuming that the government purpose is illegitimate. If a government body with power to tax does so, it may be bad policy, but that tax is not on its face, unconstitutional. In like manner, government policies that spend money on stadiums may also be bad policy, but may not be unconstitutional, unless there is a provision in the state constitution that bans that form of government spending.

Federal government is one of limited powers. State government is one of plenary powers. That doesn't means that any particular use of either of those policies powers is a good idea. There are many bad ideas that are completely constitutional.

That doesn’t mean that the constitutions are flawed though they may be. It means that government is not something that the people should allow to run without supervision.

Subsidy of a business by a government may be bad policy without being theft.

I wanted to speak against the hyperbole that any policy that is disliked must be unconstitutional.

75 posted on 12/28/2011 8:54:25 AM PST by donmeaker (e is trancendentall)
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To: donmeaker

It’s not supposed to work that way. Whatever authority is not specifically given to the government is prohibited to the government. At any rate, the Pensylvania constitution has a clause similar to the fifth amendment, and it hasn’t stopped the politicians from subsidizing sports arenas and using eminent domain to get the land for the arenas.

Do you favor such a use of government power?


76 posted on 12/28/2011 9:22:29 AM PST by Daveinyork
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