Posted on 07/01/2005 5:03:46 AM PDT by linkinpunk
House Votes To Undercut 5-4 Ruling On Property
Federal Funds Tied To Eminent Domain
By Mike Allen and Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, July 1, 2005; Page A01
The House voted yesterday to use the spending power of Congress to undermine a Supreme Court ruling allowing local governments to force the sale of private property for economic development purposes. Key members of the House and Senate vowed to take even broader steps soon.
/snip
The House measure, which passed 231 to 189, would deny federal funds to any city or state project that used eminent domain to force people to sell their property to make way for a profit-making project such as a hotel or mall.
/snip
The measure, an amendment to an appropriations bill, would apply to funds administered by the departments of Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said they will push for a more inclusive measure that would apply to all federal funds.
/snip
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) introduced a similar measure and immediately drew a Democratic co-sponsor, Sen. Bill Nelson (Fla.), as well as Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who is number three in his party's leadership. The House bill is sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.). Its Democratic co-sponsors include Reps. John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), Maxine Waters (Calif.) and Peter A. DeFazio (Ore.).
/snip
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I could be the campaign cry for 2006 and 2008. (not to mention the battle for the judiciary)
That's just so ... Democrat. SCOTUS rules that states or localities can use eminent domain to favor private development projects, and Pelosi thinks that means that the Federal government has to financially support "private" development projects. Boggles the mind.
We all need to contact our legislators that we support their efforts to overrule SCOTUS in this matter.
Not that anyone in Congress has much integrity, but let's review these 5-4 decisions! There is too much at stake.
Amazing. Congress actually doing its job for once.
Karla Marx Pelosi is brain-dead!
Karla Marx Pelosi is brain-dead! --- that is what happens when you can't sleep for years because your eyes can't close.
Since this particular ruling went against the plain language of the Constitution, Congress should be looking to impeach 5 Supreme Court Justices.
"...would deny federal funds to any city or state project that used eminent domain to force people to sell their property..."
Ah the irony. The federal government proposes to not provide funds, the funds themselves the product of a forced taking (taxes) to cities who practice forced takings.
I love that man.
time to overthrow the SCOTUS
In case folks want to encourage the Weare, N.H., selectmen who have the power to take Judge Souter's house by eminent domain so that it can be replaced by a higher-tax-paying hotel, here are the Selectmen's addresses.
Nancy doesnt seem to mind that the Judicial is using their powers to make law, in violation os separation of powers.
Does she ever say anything smart?
Pelosi understands that the leftists have been presented a gift by the US Supreme Court.
The left now will point to the Kelo decision as "support" from the US Supreme Court for the redistribution of wealth.
Who has the list of congressmen and senators opposing this?
Precisely!
and the problem with that is?
I don't want to get into that right now. I'm enough of a pragmatist that I will use the tools available today to fight todays fights. I'd rather Congress pass a law limiting the scope of Eminent Domain and designating it as being outside the scope of judicial review (that would really get Nancy's tidy whities in a bunch) but I know that's not going to happen, so I'd take what I can get.
I doubt this gets through though. This sounds like one of those Clintonesque "See, ah trahd, ah trahd re-al hard" kinds of things.
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