Fire and Knowledge

A little more than a month ago I commented on the Supreme Court’s decision to allow personal property seizures for commercial uses. Today the New York Times has an article talking more about this and some problems it poses.

It was encouraging to read about how people have responded to it, and hopefully the decision can be reversed. This is a huge issue. If the government can take away people’s property and sell it to a developer, that can easily make citizens lazy, messy, and unfruitful–not to mention the ruling tramples on the entire idea of private property.

Strangely, even the House seems to be against it.

The House voted 365 to 33 to pass a resolution condemning the decision, and proposals in both the House and the Senate would prevent the federal government from using eminent domain for private development, as well as local governments using federal money on such projects.

Unfortunately, Supreme Court rulings have no accountability and all we can hope for is a reversal of the ruling.

“This decision opens a new era when the rich and powerful can use government to seize the property of ordinary citizens for private gain,” said State Senator Tom McClintock, a Republican who proposed the amendment.