Cypress invokes eminent domain to seize church land

ocregister.com ^

[Retired Chemist]

CYPRESS

[Biblebelter]

Tear down paradise and put up another parking lot.

[billbears]

Sometimes you have to make some difficult decisions and you have to get down to the bottom line," she said. "We've never denied that it's a great church. The problem is a land-use issue."

Don't know the whole story here but from this statement I gather the almighty dollar is a little more important to her than Almighty God. Difficult decisions? Lady, you just decided to take land away from a church!! And people wonder why morality in this nation has dropped so low. With leaders like this showing such great 'respect' to church property I'm not suprised

[abner]

ping.

[Chuckster]

"Community standards" That's Cypress, CA you say? Where they believe that a discount store is more valuable to the community than a church; probably because there are no discount stores in SoCal and they desperately need one. Well I can't tell you how much our community has improved, since Costco came to our town!

</sarcasm

[sheik yerbouty]

First they will come for the churches, then all other houses of worship, and then ultimately everyone's homes and property! Let Costco find another location. It is my understanding that the church already bought and paid for the land. It's time the Caliban was told "Stop thief!"

[Deathmonger]

A detail that is missing from the article excerpt is that this chuch owns multiple properties in the area and already has constructed a $50M church building on one of them. They make it sound like they're tearing down a church in order to build a Costco, which is not the case.

This is an empty lot. I don't hear them complaining about $14M being an unfair price, and eminent domain is the law in this country.

[chiefqc]

It's no problem for her, just as long as it's not going to affect her concerns.

What a bunch of arrogant as*holes.

[mhking]

"We've never denied that it's a great church. The problem is a land-use issue."

You notice - there is no elaboration beyond that statement. "A land-use issue" is a nice, all-encompassing phrase that lets them say that they would rather put the shopping center in place versus the church for revenue-sake. The city would make more in tax revenue from the shopping center than they ever would from the church.

[BlackElk]

1. Isn't Costco owned by the Arkansas Antichrist's Red Chinese buddies and contributors?

2. Is it a legitimate public public purpose justifying the exercise of eminent domain powers to strip a Church of its irreplaceable and unique real estate (all real estate is regarded as such in the law) not to build a school or a courthouse or a county adminstration building or public highway but to put the property back on the tax rolls in a highly tax lucrative use? If so, why not confiscate all exempt Church property? [Because the First Amendment guarantees freedom of worship, regardless of government greed, that's why.]

[BlackElk]

I am having a little trouble with the concept of exercising eminent domain for private purposes like Costco's. If we let tax revenue potential be the guide, the tinpot "land use" despots will be licensed to create a totally materialistic society and crush religion. It does not matter wheter the land was developed or not and I hope you also see the dangers of your rule of law argument. The unexamined argument that the law is the law and must be obeyed, however asinine or illegal in itself (by violating constitutions) ought to be rejected. A rogue government which arrogates unto itself whatever powers it finds convenient regardless of constitutional restraints is what our forebears rebelled against in the American Revolution.

[Lucky2]

This land is the property of the church and they can do what they want with it. If the city of Cypress wants it then they must be on the take from Costco! I wonder what Costco offered them??? I'd say only in California could this happen but sadly it could happen anywhere in the USA today. Land grabs are only one more step towards complete communism! How sad...

[ContentiousObjector]

Check out what is being done to the largest Christian cemetary in Singapore,

They are diging up the remains and dumbing them at sea to make room for a new sports complex.

[Dr. Frank fan]

[Councilwoman:] The problem is a land-use issue."

Oh, a "land-use" issue. I see. Wait a second. Whose land is it?

What bothers me most here is not the morality per se, but the way the debate is framed. Even among the decision's detractors. The decision was not bad "because the City Council decided that a mall was more important" or "more important to the community" than a church.

Who cares which thing is "more important to the community" for crying out loud? Did the city own the land or not? If they didn't, then they took someone's else's property. (Yes I'm aware of the power of "eminent domain" but it ought to only be used when there is a real need, for crying out loud. A mall???)

This is a property-rights issue. Apparently, there are none. De facto socialism.

When you get into a argument over which use of private property is "more important to the community", you've already conceded 90% of the debate. The rest is just PR campaigning and spin, tactics at which conservatives are not particularly skillful.

[lowbridge]

California bump

[Dog Gone]

1. Isn't Costco owned by the Arkansas Antichrist's Red Chinese buddies and contributors?

You're confusing it with the Chinese firm, Cosco. Not related.

Eminent Domain should never be permitted for transferring private property between private landowners. This is the most egregious form of government abuse I can think of.

The Supreme Court must review this practice before any of the justices retire. I don't want to take any chances for a bad decision.

[Dr. Frank fan]

A detail that is missing from the article excerpt is that this chuch owns multiple properties in the area and already has constructed a $50M church building on one of them.

Another detail that is missing from the article excerpt is The Numerical Value of the Radius Of The Moon, Measured in Microns. Which is an equally irrelevant piece of trivia, you see.

What difference does it make how many other properties the church owns? Whose business is that but their own? Does that justify theft?

This is an empty lot.

But whose lot is it? Yours? "The community"'s?

Are you familiar with the notion that some things belong to you, while other things don't? Did your parents ever explain this to you?

This is America dammit, not the USSR.

and eminent domain is the law in this country.

Was the concept of "eminent domain" intended to be used in order to justify seizing property to build such desperately-needed community resources as... shopping malls?

[bureaucrat]

I wonder what the council would have voted had the land been designated as an "ancestral holy site" by a local band of native americans? Or, Heaven forbid, an ancient burial ground. Or if a snail or spotted owl lived there. Or if it was a "wetland."

But, it being only a Christian church, the Costco wins. I love Costco, but I don't think governments should be ousting churches in favor of them.

[tracer]

You are thinking of COSCO, a Chinese shipping company...