alicia
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Property Rights - Kelo v. New London |
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Posted on: 07/19/05 - 07:22:26 |
My latest letter to the editor was printed in Cookeville's Herald-Citizen on Sunday, July 17th. The two sentences in [] brackets were edited out to make it fit the space they had available.
It was also posted in its entirety on http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_69771.asp on July 21st.
- Alicia
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H-C Editor:
The Supreme Court's ruling in Kelo v. City of New London is just simply
wrong. It demonstrates that a majority of the Supreme Court Justices don't
understand that private property rights are foundational to a free society.
And for once, it's not just us Libertarians saying so.
If someone else covets my lawfully purchased property, it's not ok for them
to just take it from me. Neither is it ok for them to have the city council
or county commission take it from me forcefully and give it to them.
But let's be honest about how we got here. Real estate redistribution is
just the next logical step on the path we've been walking. For decades many
have said nothing while the government redistributed tax dollars from one
private entity to another. The only thing new here is that people are
starting to complain.
Do you want an art gallery, but can't afford to build it, and nobody wants
to buy your art? No problem! The government will tax everyone else and give you a grant.
Want a college education that will result in a lifetime of comfortable
income for your family, but you don't want to pay for it? Taxpayers will
pay for it, and you can enjoy the personal financial gain.
[Jealous of someone else's insurance policy? The government will take from
them and give to you.]
Want to expand your private company, but you need a free building and free
property? We'll call it "economic development" to make it sound positive
when we raise property taxes and the city or county gives you what you want.
Barry Goldwater was correct when he said, "Remember that a government big
enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away
everything you have."
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