Posted on 10/06/2005 10:24:09 PM PDT by calcowgirl
The newly established California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights announced that former state Senator and minority leader Jim Nielsen of Woodland was elected to serve as chairman of the board. Serving as the organization's "honorary" co-chairmen are Senator Tom McClintock of Ventura County and Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa of Butte County.
"The Alliance is honored to have Senator McClintock and Assemblyman LaMalfa as part of a citizen led campaign to protect private property from the abuses of eminent domain," said Nielsen. "While today so many elected leaders are quick to join the U.S. Supreme Court in eroding private property rights, these state legislators have led legislative efforts to protect homeowners, small business and family farmers from government-led efforts to seize private property from unwilling sellers."
"Americans are very concerned with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Kelo vs. City of New London decision granting local government greater authority and ease by which they can seize homes, small business and family farms from unwilling sellers - and rightly so," said Nielsen. "To witness this impressive abuse of power, Californians do not need to look beyond our State's borders to see how government is using its police powers to seize private property from unwilling sellers. The threat to property in California is real and these are extraordinary times for those fighting to protect private property rights."
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo vs. City of New London decision, McClintock and LaMalfa introduced a state constitutional amendment to strengthen California's eminent domain laws. All eminent domain reform bills stalled in this legislative session. One bill that threatens private property rights (AB 1747) is before Governor Schwarzenegger. This bill is related to Yolo County's effort to seize the 17,300-acre Conaway Ranch from its unwilling sellers. Should Yolo County prevail in its taking, it would mark the first time in California history that local government has used gambling profits to seize private property.
"As a farmer, I hold the value of property ownership as a paramount right," said Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa. "If the test used in the Kelo case were applied to agricultural land across California and the nation, in essence taking property with a low tax base from one private owner to hand it over to another private owner, every farm from coast to coast would be at risk."
The Alliance also named Marko Mlikotin to serve as its president. Mlikotin is president of River City Communications and was chief of staff for former Congressman Doug Ose of Sacramento, who served on the House Agriculture and Government Reform Committees.
Property comes with a bundle of rights. They include the right of use, to subdivide, to bar others entry and the right to develop. The property itself doesn't have "rights." The individual has rights in that property he owns.
Writer and economist Thomas Sowell explains the coorelation between visible and invisible property:
“Neither ‘property’ nor the value of property is a physical thing. Property is a set of defined options . . .It is that set of options which has economic value . . .It is the options, and not the physical things, which are the 'property' - economically as well as legally . . .But because the public tends to think of property as tangible, physical things, this opens the way politically for government confiscation of property by forcibly taking away options while leaving the physical objects untouched.”
It’s what one may do with property that gives it value. Property that may not be used via government dictate loses value because the owner has no right to do with it what he wishes.
The government banning smoking in a business is theft. The right of the owner to legally use his property as he sees fit has been stolen.
No one said a bar can no longer be a bar or a restaurant can no longer be a restaurant...only that you can't smoke there
Try reading "The Tragedy of the Commons."
It will help you understand the difference between socialism and the Marxist "common good" vs a democratic republic and individual freedom.
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