Posted on 11/05/2015 10:09:15 AM PST by Freemeorkillme
Donald Trump’s high standing in the polls is attributable entirely to the fact that he’s not a Washington insider, not part of the racket, and despite his wealth really might actually give a damn about the Little Guy. So why is he saying things like this?
Donald Trump on Wednesday defended government property seizures as a “necessary thing,†even when it means involuntarily taking property from a private owner to transfer it to another business. Trump was speaking to reporters outside the capital statehouse moments before formally filing his candidacy for the February primary, and the Washington Examiner pressed him on his record of using eminent domain laws to expand his casino empire.
“Property rights are a big issue in New Hampshire,†the Examiner noted. “In Atlantic City you used eminent domain laws aggressively to expand your casino.â€
Trump interjected by calling this a “stupid question†before launching into a defense of eminent domain. â€I am all for private property rights,†Trump said. “There’s nobody who wants property taken away less than I do, believe me. I would lose a lot of money if my property were taken away. But when you’re building a road, when you’re building a highway, when you’re building whatever it is you’re building from a municipal standpoint, you may need a corner of a piece of property.†As he said this, he pinched his fingers together to demonstrate the smallness of the property.
The abstract reasoning may be sound — although in the Supreme Court’s disgraceful Kelo decision it certainly was not — but the optics are terrible. It smacks of Romneyism, a cluelessness about how ordinary people live their lives.
Just like gay marriage is “ Law of the land “ ?
So if Obama and a Democrat controlled Congress were to make a “ law of the land “ to confiscate all of Christian’s private property without any explanation and lock them up in consentration camps that would be OK to ? After all it would be Law of the land.
He offered Vera Coking about a million dollars, not 2 million dollars. And she turned it down, because she wanted to stay in her house. You or I may have taken the money (I know I would have), but the whole thing about property rights is that the PROPERTY OWNER gets to make that decision, based on their own interests. And it was HER HOUSE.
After she refused to sell, Trump got his cronies in Atlantic City to use eminent domain to transfer the land to him. Her compensation under the eminent domain transfer would have been $250,000.
So who do you suppose Trump thinks his customers will be? The ones needed to keep his businesses running? You really think Trump purposefully will kick his customers in the teeth?
You can not classify Cruz to Biden...
I’m 100% Trump, but Cruz has more in his little finger than Biden has in his whole body...
Okay, those with TDS that are railing against eminent domain, do you REALLY know what you are talking about?
What is YOUR solution to a road needing to be built, but the land is broken up into 1/2 acre parcels that were purchase by non-residents 40 and 50 years ago for about $800 each? The land is often unusable, with many actually situated in arroyos. They are being taxed with a property value of about $1000 to $3000 each. Many of the original owners are dead and the property is owned by their children or grandchildren. Upon hearing that someone wanted this useless land, many thought they had won the lotto and were asking as high as $500K.
Remember, eminent domain is not “taking” the property, it is “forcing” someone to sell at a value set by a judge (in this case most were valued at between $6,000 and $10,000 per parcel). Still not great, but what were the options?
BTW, my solution was to send the owners a letter that any claims of property value by the owners would be used to determine the taxable value of that land going forward. If you think your land is worth $500K, you should be willing to pay taxes on a $500K piece of land.
No, that was not the belief of the Founding Fathers who wrote and approved that clause.
Wow. I hope you have better things to do with your life than dig through random FReepers posting histories. Pretty sad otherwise.
it doesn’t matter how liberal and uninformed Trump is, The Branch Trumpdians will believe that Trump is whatever they believe him to be. He is “The One.”
Four yesrs ago, if a Freeper stated that we would be supporting a person that agreed with Kelo, I would have laughed. Now I just cringe in shame and will cringe in shame when I pull the lever for Trump if it comes down to it. I will not sit home, and by doing so, vote for the Socialist as many of us did in 2008 and 2012. I will do my duty to try to save the country; although I do not believe that Trump is a sound choice.
“The Keystone Pipeline from Canada to Texas will require 1000’s of Kelo decisions. Lots of private property will be acquired by the pipeline. I support building of this vital economic project, and whatever private property is bought by the project compensated with market value plus”
UH,,watch out! You will be flamed by those who seethe over the fact some company/business/industry may actually profit from said action.
What? Discuss compensation offered to the landowner? Well, we can’t have that.
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
There's the thing you are missing. No one is objecting to the use of eminent domain for public works projects like roads, bridges, etc. That is clearly constitutional (within certain limitations), and uncontroversial. What people are objecting to (and what Trump is supporting) is the use of eminent domain to transfer private property from one private owner to another, for the purpose of private development of the land. That's not a "public use," and so it is not permitted by the Constitution (black-robed idiots in Kelo notwithstanding).
Please tell me what a bastion of Conservatism that ole sTrumpy is.
You are confused. Ask those who lived in communist countries how much they were given for the land they had ACTUALLY seized.
Then why bother then to harp and complain about Ted Cruz’s supposed phantom legislation of the H-1Bs since you feel that way about private property and possessions ?
Trump’s opinion on to what extent eminent domain should be used, is actually not, as is that of any other individual citizen. It is up to the states to pass legislation limiting its use if the people of that state so wish, otherwise it is up to the local elected officials whether to invoke eminent domain according to what they perceive is in the best interest of the people. In addition, the citizen whose property is in dispute has the right to go to court if he thinks eminent domain is being improperly used.
I call this a non-issue; it does not matter!
I had to pass a test in US Constitution familiarity when approved for Naturalized US Citizenship. Trump offered the owner 4 times market value. I do not consider that UNREASONABLE seizure of property.
Anyway my top issue in 2016 is Illegals, not some isolated incidence involving Kelo. I am much more concerned about American wage levels, jobs taken by cheap foreign workers on H1-B visa’s, legal immigration not based on sponsorship by relatives (current situation). Immigration affect Millions of Americans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHlGlNwsQb0
Eminent domain is a right granted to the states by the US Constitution. It cannot be changed. The only disagreement is to what extent eminent domain should be used.
Yes, it was. Don’t we miss it now? LOL
Good catch. I just made the same observation, without even seeing that post or history, on another thread.
I’d just remarked how he/she had been outed.
You’ve obviously embarrassed this illegal immigration proponent.
“Illegal immigration proponent”? Nonsense. Vile, vile nonsense.
I did not, in any way, compared Cruz to Biden.
I simply used Biden to illustrate the uselessness of the position of VP.
Any other interpretation is all a emotional reaction on your part.
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