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December 21, 2004
NoLandGrab: Property Rights lines redrawn
Today's headlines illustrate emerging trends in eminent domain politics as the traditional lines have been redrawn. The property rights coallition is mostly composed of advocates against the abuse of the governments coercive powers (i.e. search and seizure, use of force, taxation and eminent domain). Nader's Raiders provided the organizational and legal support to Poletown residents who lost their battle to save their neighborhood and the libertarian Institute for Justice has been doing the heavy lifting for the past decade.
LIBERAL AWAKENING
"The Condemned," which is running in the current issue of Mother Jones, signals the awakening of liberal groups who have remained silent on eminent domain because condemnations in blighted neighborhoods (slums and ghettos) have been used as last-ditch efforts to revitalize these areas. Eminent domain has also been recently explored by environmentalists as a way for the state to set aside land whose ecosystem is endangered. However, the growing use of eminent domain to seize land coveted by local developers inordinately affects minorities and the elderly. Their champions, the NAACP and AARP, have joined groups like Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn and traditional conservative groups to file friend of the court briefs supporting the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case of Kelo v. New London. These groups are asking the court to reign in the definition of "public use" so that local governments can no longer act as realtors to favored developers. [All 25 briefs.]
CONSERVATIVE BETRAYAL
"Threshold of a misstep," from the conservative Washington Times, reports on a troubling development. The Bush administration is planning on filing a brief in support of the City of New London. Conservatives are vexed by the administration's position and, thus far, have failed to get any response from administration representatives. Advocates for small government have long decried the government's excessive use of eminent domain, especially to seize property for private corporations. It seems that the Bush administration is siding with New London despite the fact that the federal government's position is not even represented in this case. Are the torchbearers of conservative values eschewing their base for the interests of big business?
Posted by lumi at December 21, 2004 8:31 AM