Posted on 01/23/2016 10:01:45 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
DES MOINES - If nothing else, Donald Trump certainly didn't toe the company line or kowtow to the citizens of Pella, Iowa, while touting his support for eminent domain during his second campaign stop in the Hawkeye State on Saturday.
With only eight days until voting, the Republican Party front-runner continued to back eminent domain before a crowd interspersed with locals from Pella and Oskaloosa as the two cities continue to push to build a regional airport next to Highway 163 using the practice. Twice, Trump called the practice a "positive thing" while talking up the necessity of its use.
"I'm not in love with eminent domain, but eminent domain is a good thing. It's necessary," Trump said, adding later that "eminent domain is something that's a positive thing - not a negative thing. Yeah, sometimes cities will use it in order to do business."
"Let's say a person has a house or a person has a backyard and they're going to build a factory that's going to employ 5,000 people, and sometimes the city will use the power," Trump said. "And by the way, if you don't get that property, they're going to go to another city, and they're going to spend millions of dollars and they're going to build a factory there, they're going to employ 5,000 people - but not in your city. Eminent domain is a positive thing. It's got to be used judiciously."
According to reports, the building of the proposed airport, which has been talked about for over a decade, would seek to use eminent domain to take property from nine separate properties. Despite largely enjoying Trump's remarks, locals in the crowd admitted they were a little surprised Trump used the occasion to support the idea.
"If I had to say yes or no to the airport ... I would say no. It's going to be a huge tax burden on the community. I don't want to see that," said Guy Schwab, a Pella resident. "I don't want to be given the bill for ... private enterprise thinking that they want something. Right now, we've got private businesses that front that airport. I don't want the bill."
Schwab, a 65-year-old impending retiree, argued that the airport isn't a necessity as the two current airports (Pella and Ottumwa) aren't deficient structurally or financially.
In his pitch, Trump also touched on the building of pipelines, specifically mentioning the Keystone XL and Bakken pipelines, which runs from Northwest to Southeast Iowa to deliver crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois.
"Where else is eminent domain used? For pipelines. All of these [GOP 2016 candidates] are in favor of the Keystone pipeline," Trump said. "You couldn't build five feet of the Keystone pipeline without eminent domain. It's going through people's farms, it's going through people's houses."
"Without it, you wouldn't have any highways, you wouldn't have laws," Trump continued. "Did anyone know that that's how you build roads and thats how you build schools and that's how you build other things?"
Bob Owens, a 61-year-old resident of Pella, agreed partly with Trump's points, stating, "yeah, you've got to think about progress, and you've got to think about things that [Trump] was talking about. But when it gets to actual personal and talking about taking away your farm, then it gets to be a little bit of a different deal [who's against the airport.] We have a good airport. We have an airport that's functional. I just personally don't think there's a need for it."
Although the situation is in limbo, the stance of many area residents is clear with signs lining Highway 163 protesting the airport. Other candidates who have come into the area have taken on the issue directly, with Sen. Rand Paul hosting a town hall on the subject in Oskaloosa on Jan. 7.
Trump is currently in a heated battle with Sen. Ted Cruz to win Iowa. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Trump leads by 2.5 points over the Texas senator. In the Washington Examiner's presidential power rankings, Cruz is in first place with Trump in second. While Trump is slated to make stops in Iowa on both Sunday and Tuesday, Cruz will be holding events from Monday to Friday, with the two meeting Thursday at the GOP debate in Des Moines.
It’s true.
You hadn’t noticed?
Yea, Trump is tone deaf. Right.
So, you are telling me I am not entitled to my own opinion?
B. S.
I fed it like it got it.
I never called his supporters homosexuals, followers of Hitler, the victims of anal rape and all the other fun things Cruz supporters referenced me with.
I addressed issues on point, and that was deemed to be an unfair attack.
You folks really do need to sit up and take notice.
There would be no airports, no highways, fewer schools, fewer hospitals, and no Keystone Pipe Line without eminent domain.
Please oh please, someone declare my house falls for some type of eminent domain, and offer me SEVEN times what my house is worth, like that lady in NY. I have zero sentimental attachment to bricks, mortar, wood, copper, roof shingles, etc used to build my house.
All the memorabilia are inside the house, and I can easily move them to my new and bigger and better house.
Everything with, for and about Trump is flexible.
I really think you clowns need to STFU until you lead a rebellion to reclaim "your" real estate properties from the government.
Oh, not happening? Then STFU and lick the government boot stamping your face.
Or, you can show me how "confrontational" you are by not paying your property rent "taxes" for 3 or 4 years.
We'll find out real quick who the REAL owner of "your" property is.
Yes, I have indeed noticed people like you defending Trump no matter how leftist he goes.
I think I see the difference there somewhere.
What a great line. Seven months and that’s your best shot.
LOL
CW: Hoe many politicians have you given the kiss of political death?
You don’t have to construct strawman arguments. Just say your a Trump guy who does not believe in property rights as a natural right. Just make the leap to statist. Like Trump.
Do you own real estate?
Do you own real estate?
My point is that any candidate who is beating the competition as soundly as Trump is, is by definition of the term, not tone deaf. You can like him or dislike him all you want. That’s irrelevant to whether he’s tone deaf or not. Trump is beating the competition by huge margins, is obviously resonating with millions, and routinely draws 10,000 to 20,000 people to his rallies. Anyone who asserts that Trump is tone deaf doesn’t know what the word means. That’s my point.
Spoken like a statist puke.
Yes, we took notice. Lynching of Ted Cruz for the last six months.
Yep, well I’m not the only guy that likes his platform.
If that makes me a Lefty, you really need to reconsider your qualifications for what makes one a Lefty.
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