“How Much Private Property is the Government Stealing in Your State?�

[Paregoric Kid]

“How Much Private Property is the Government Stealing in Your State?�

Posted on August 2, 2010, 10:34AM | Damon W. Root
Writing at Big Government, Bob Ewing of the Institute for Justice explains how asset forfeiture laws put property rights at risk and calls on citizens in every state to help IJ's attorneys fight back:

Our forfeiture campaign follows in the footsteps of our eminent domain work. In courtrooms across the country, we will keep fighting the government to secure the bedrock American principle of private property rights.

Even though IJ has had tremendous success in courts, eminent domain abuse was stopped in large part by grassroots activists. We desperately need a similar grassroots backlash against civil forfeiture. Simply put, we need your help.

Here’s one of the examples of asset forfeiture from Ewing’s piece:

As a 77-year-old woman living alone with multiple medical problems, Margaret [Davis] left her Pennsylvania home unlocked so her neighbors could regularly check on her. One day while the police were chasing alleged drug dealers through her neighborhood, they all ran through Margaret’s house.
The dealers dropped some of their stash on Margaret’s floor, in plain sight.
Instead of apologizing to Margaret for the traumatic experience, the government seized her house.

[The_Chef]

Private property is nothing but institutionalized brutality - except my whisky. You touch my whisky and I cut you (with the communal knife/shiv/rock).

[dyrt57]

I know in PA they are trying to use immenint domain to use the property of people that don't want to lease their mineral rights to the gas co's.

[Paregoric Kid]

PA is also trying to use eminent domain to kick out the last hold outs in the mine fire town of Centralia. Fuck eminent domain and asset forfeiture.

[Restharrow]

Eminent Domain can be a good thing or a bad thing IMO.

One of the nicest mountains in my state, has been a privately owned park since before I was born. The original owner died and his children did NOT want to work their asses off, charging people $10/night to camp there -- when they could sell it to a developer for millions.

The gov. stepped in and bought the park for a little MORE than the developer would pay and made it a FREE PARK.

It was a Win -Win --except for the poor developer who is out a few million in uncollected profits (boo-hoo. I feel so bad for him, I hope they name a road or bridge with his name)

I have also seen it used to help develpers remove property owners who would not sell to them and there homes interferred with giant projects. That is a shitty way for the gov. to treat a small homeowner.

Will

[Paregoric Kid]

Too often eminent domain is used to steal peoples property and give it to another private owner who will generate more taxes, that is total bullshit and a violation of property rights.