A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned -- this is the sum of good government.
~ Thomas Jefferson
The debate over Eminent Domain rages on. In Oakland, California, those who believe in private property have suffered a defeat: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174519,00.html.
Did I fall asleep a few years ago and wake up in a Communist country? Please tell me this is a nightmare!
But I know it is not a nightmare. It is reality. It is politics. It is the new "Tea Tax." A govenment autority is interpreting a law in an unjust manner and tighteniing the screws on the little man. The one honest thing by the city council in ths article, was Larry Reid: "Sears is our only major retailer," said Oakland City Councilman Larry Reid. "We have a responsibility in terms of being able to keep Sears in downtown Oakland for what we hope will be a strong viable retail base."
Translation: Oakland City Council members are in the pocket of a major retailer. It happens all too often. A few years ago, in my hometown, when we fought (unsuccesfully) our officials against the building of a major dump that would take in all of New York's trash as well as our own, we knew that money was being handed under the table, but we couldn't prove it.
This is a little different in that there is no tea to dump in protest. What weapons do we have? The election process? Too slow and as our group found out, too late ~ the damage had already been done.
I'm afraid I don't know what the next step is. Welcome to the Brave New World of 1984.
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