Eminent domain abuse on Internet radio
Still waiting for the U. S. Supreme Court's ruling in Kelo v. New London, expected to be a landmark case on whether governments have the power to take property by eminent domain for private use. This week's edition of Phyllis Schlafly Live, an hour-long radio show, is an interview with Steven Greenhut, author of Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain. A caller to the program talked about an attempt to add checks and balances to the eminent domain process in Missouri (House Bill 258).
You can hear the show until about midday tomorrow on www.rightalk.com, where you can also hear this week's edition of Hoist the Black Flag with Ace and Karol, featuring a chat with National Review editor and music critic Jay Nordlinger.
It surprised me the first time I noticed it, but Phyllis Schlafly and her organization Eagle Forum have been stalwarts on issues that you would normally associate with libertarianism, not social conservatism. Eminent domain abuse is one example, but the first such issue that came to my attention was freedom of encryption. Eagle Forum opposed Clinton administration efforts to require use of encryption schemes with "back doors" accessible to law enforcement. Eagle Forum also opposed the 20-year extension of copyright passed in the late '90s. (That last link has links to Schlafly's writing on the subject and to an article in The Nation. It's been my experience that social-issue "wingnuts" like Schlafly -- and me -- are more concerned about abuse of government power and corporate welfare than socially moderate and liberal Republicans.)
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I'm considered moderate to liberal, but even I have a big problem with how governments overuse eminent domain. I'm hoping the justices set the threshold pretty high on this upcoming ruling.
>It's been my experience that social->issue "wingnuts" like Schlafly -- and me -- are >more concerned about abuse of government power >and corporate welfare than socially moderate >and liberal Republicans.)
Of course. Social moderates and liberal republicans have this in common with many Democrats: they see government power as a means to *their* ends, to the preservation of their power, their privilege, and the status quo. The "wingnuts," as you call them, regard governmental power as naturally inimical to liberty. The thing is, they're both right!
I was that caller on the Schafly show. I misspoke when talking about that bill. It was H.B. 858 and can be found at http://www.house.mo.gov/bills051/bills/HB858.htm.
The numbers on these bills run together after awhile. In any case, I would encourage you to take this to your local state legislator and ask if he would sponsor a similar bill. I do not think the Supreme Court is going to give us any help next week. The only choice then is to change the laws city by city and state by state.
Feel free to contact me at jasonbarnes5@gmail.com if you have any questions or just want to exchange some ideas here.