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DEL.ICIO.USRed meat for the eminent domain crowd
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today’s AJC article on the state Department of Transportation’s $456 million deficit includes the fact that the department has been seizing rights-of-way to no purpose:
In one case, for a project on Ga. 316 and Ga. 81 in 1999, DOT told a man it needed land that he had bought less than six months before, intending to build a gas station.
It usually takes years for a project to arrive at the construction stage, and the man asked DOT if it would let him build his station and make what profit he could until the agency was ready to build its ramps.
DOT refused, saying the project was “imminent,” and condemned his land.
“Eight years later, GDOT continues to have no formal construction plans for the project and the project is not on GDOT’s Long Range Program,” according to the audit.
Comments
By Silence
September 18, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this
Do you know why Neilly B and the rest of the fringe right echo chamber doesn’t talk about eminent domain these days?
When they found out how much private property the government was going to have to seize to the build the border fence with Mexico they shut up about eminent domain. BTW, a number of property owners at our southern border have filed lawsuits to stop the seizure of their land.
It turns out the talk radio crowd hates Mexicans jumping the border to come to work on their lawns and process their chicken more than they hate eminent domain, so they just pretend they were never against it.
By Texas Reader
September 18, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this
While some of the land bordering Mexico may be in private hands I would bet, without caring about checking, that most all of it is municipal, county, and state. Further, most every land owner who shares a border with Mexico would love a fence to keep out the gang-like criminals crossing over; the owners are suing because they want more in compensation, as anyone who knows anything about eminent domain understands.
Most conservatives don’t talk about immigration because Democrats and Republicans alike have sold us down the river on the issue in order to pick up Hispanic voters in an incredibly tight election (like that has helped the Republicans any). Increased unemployment and high gas prices have sent many illegals back to Mexico where the cost of living and gas prices (subsidized) are lower, and as a result there is a slight decrease in illegal immigration. Are we happy about people coming here stealing our education and medical dollars and undercutting wages for those here legally? Of course not. I think most people realize that the federal government is not going to act so the states (following Georgia’s brilliant lead) need to act. You don’t hear about it in Georgia because Georgia has already acted.
Eminent domain for public use is okay (provided there is just compensation). Eminent domain for ill-defined public benefit is wrong (it’s stealing), and states should remove that option.
By Idiot Texas Reader
September 18, 2008 11:14 PM | Link to this
Just because you’re from Texas doesn’t mean you have any clue what you’re talking about:
http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2796
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/border14839_article.html/granjenocounty.html
www.pbs.org/now/shows/432/index.html