[Glenn]

George is a national treasure.

Just like baseball.

[G Larry]

The casino’s weren’t paying the Chicago mob the percentage of the take that the ponies were offering.

Are there any Chicago newspapers willing to print that simple truth?

Oh! Wait...my sentence was too long....

Are there any Chicago newspapers?

[Loud Mime]

The careful crafters of the Bill of Rights intended the adjective "public" to restrict government takings to uses directly owned by government or primarily serving the general public, such as roads, bridges or public buildings.

The only matter exercised carefully by today's politicians is job security.

Our government was only a few months old when some officials tried to empower government beyond its design. James Madison objected to the attempt:

"If Congress can apply money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may establish teachers in every State, county, and parish, and pay them out of the public Treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may undertake the regulation of all roads, other than post roads. In short, everything, from the highest object of State legislation, down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress; for every object I have mentioned would admit the application of money, and might be called if Congress pleased provisions for the general welfare."

[Carry_Okie]

I hate the concept of 'settled law.'

'It's OK as long as we get away with it long enough.'

[RedMonqey]

...the (Illinois) court said it is “well settled” that the takings clause applies only to government's exercise of its eminent domain power regarding land, buildings and other tangible or intellectual property — but not money.

The takings clause will be used to justify ther Obama’s seisure...., ahem....transfer of wealth to his supporters.

All he needs to do is place a few more justices from Illinois on the Supreme Court and it's a done deal...

[Seruzawa]

..the (Illinois) court said it is “well settled” that the takings clause applies only to government's exercise of its eminent domain power regarding land, buildings and other tangible or intellectual property — but not money.

Evil, evil ,evil.....

[bray]

This is who Georgie wanted since Gov Palin was such a rube. Now live w/it Georgie, you got just what you wanted. The rest of us Rubes warned you Chablis Drinking DC Repubs.

Happy Easter

[Pontiac]

Illinois has nine licensed riverboat casinos and five horse-racing tracks. In 2006, supposedly to "address the negative impact that riverboat gaming has had" on Illinois horse racing, the Legislature -- racing interests made huge contributions to Gov. Rod Blagojevich -- mandated a transfer of 3 percent of the gross receipts of the four most profitable casinos,

I am a simple man and therefore simple solutions are always most appealing to me.

That said wouldn’t be much simpler to give the race tracks a 3% tax break.

But of course to the leftist Illinois legislature tax breaks are immoral and unpatriotic.

[BenLurkin]

Illinois Legislature's transfer of income from some disfavored riverboat casinos to racetracks

Two words: Mob Sters

[Pontiac]

Illinois has nine licensed riverboat casinos and five horse-racing tracks. In 2006, supposedly to "address the negative impact that riverboat gaming has had" on Illinois horse racing, the Legislature -- racing interests made huge contributions to Gov. Rod Blagojevich -- mandated a transfer of 3 percent of the gross receipts of the four most profitable casinos, those in the Chicago area, to the state's horse-racing tracks. This levy, subsequently extended to run until 2011, will confiscate substantially more than $100 million

This is a great deal for the Illinois Treasury, they get to tax that $100 million twice.

First they tax it as income for the Casinos then they get to tax it as income for the race tracks.

What a deal?!

[CapnJack]

I wonder if he ran this story by his new best buddy Zero during pizza night at the White House.

I’m sure Zero invited George over for pizza as a thanks to George having Zero over at his house.

George Will is like your good old dog that one day bites you, you’ll never trust it again.

[fightinJAG]

bfl

[neverdem]

That is one reason the U.S. Supreme Court should take the Illinois case and reject the preposterous idea that money is not property within the scope of the takings clause -- an idea that licenses legislative confiscations. Another and related reason why the court should take the case is to reconsider its 2005 ruling that rendered the "public purpose" requirement empty.

Could Kennedy make atonement for his idiocy in Kelo?

[SunkenCiv]

Rampant redistribution of wealth by government is now the norm. So is this: It inflames government's natural rapaciousness and subverts the rule of law.

Thanks neverdem.

[justiceseeker93]

I’ve never thought of George Will as a constitutional scholar, but he nails this one. Perhaps the SCOTUS may finally dredge up the courage to put a bit of restraint on government picking winners and losers in the private sector.

[ml/nj]

Wash Post syndicate writers must be excerpted

I guess I understand about excerpting from the Washinton Post, but how would one know that George Will is a so-called "Wash Post syndicate writer" from the article posted at Townhall? If Townhall doesn't have to give obeisance to the Washington Post, why is FreeRepublic required to?

ML/NJ