A couple of Eminent Domain articles
Mega-merchandisers such as Costco Wholesale Corp., Home Depot Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. try to control acquisition costs the old-fashion way — they have politicians take the desired land from property owners so it can be transferred to them.
“Legalized theft” is not an oxymoron to those familiar with eminent domain. Government’s right of eminent domain had been limited to taking private property, and offering compensation, for truly public uses. New roads. Fire stations. Courthouses.
Now government grabs private property on behalf of the big-box bullies. The confiscation is rationalized as being for the greater good, supposedly to create jobs and produce taxes. And the original owner is offered some money.
The jumbo-jerk arrogance was epitomized by Costco vice president Joel Benoliel. He told shareholders two years ago that “probably dozens” of its projects involve eminent domain “or the threat of it.” He also offered that this is not a corruption of the free market and that limiting government land-grabbing to genuine public uses was a “simplistic” libertarian argument.
So dozens of stores are planned to be taken through eminent domain. I find it offensive that respecting property rights and abiding by the Constitution are “simplistic” libertarian arguments.
And, in New Jersey, another case of taking from private citizens to give to private developers:
The city plans to knock down all the houses left on her street, Titus Avenue, along with one block of Pennington Avenue, to make way for 15 new houses officials hope will each fetch $90,000, nearly twice what Thompson stands to receive in compensation.
Taking from the poor to sell to the rich.
