Happy 4th or July. Today is a good day to recognize some heroes – the Institute for Justice. These guys are like super heroes to me.
From their website: “We challenge the government when it stands in the way of people trying to earn an honest living, when it unconstitutionally takes away individuals’ property, when bureaucrats instead of parents dictate the education of children, and when government stifles speech. We seek a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and responsible members of society.”
Minnesota’s eminent domain abuses
“Following stiff opposition from the nearly 50-year-old company, its employees, unions and the Institute for Justice – a public interest law firm that battles eminent domain abuse nationwide – the Port Authority decided not to use eminent domain to take the company’s property. . . .
For the past 50 years, Advance has built its equipment-leasing business without government subsidies. Its 43 employees, 20 of whom are members of Local 120 of the Teamsters and Local 49 of the Operating Engineers, provide cranes, scaffolding and shoring equipment to construction projects. Advance has played an instrumental role in constructing and restoring of landmarks in the Twin Cities, including the Xcel Energy Center, the Cathedral of St. Paul and Regions Hospital. ‘You cannot look at St. Paul’s skyline without seeing the contribution that our family business has made,’ Haug added.
Last September, the Port Authority stated its intention to acquire by eminent domain 10 acres of Advance’s property near Interstate 35E and Maryland Avenue in the Arlington-Jackson section of St. Paul. In October and November, Advance’s owners and allies asked the City Council not to authorize the Port Authority’s plan to destroy this successful business for a yet-to-be-identified business and an unspecific use requiring more than $10 million in government subsidies.” (Read more at ij.org)
Banned in Boston: Erroll Tyler’s Fight for Economic Liberty as Boston protects tourism cartel
(Read more at ij.org)
Developer colludes with state for eminent domain abuses. Anyone who fights back is guilty of defamation:
“Dallas, Texas – The author and publisher of Bulldozed: ‘Kelo,’ Eminent Domain, and the American Lust for Land today asked a Dallas state court to dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed against them by Dallas developer H. Walker Royall. Published in 2007, Bulldozed chronicles events in Freeport, Texas, where Royall signed a development agreement to have the city take land owned by Western Seafood – a generations-old shrimping business – and give that land to Royall’s development company for a luxury yacht marina. Royall sued the book’s author, Carla Main, and its publisher, Encounter Books, in October 2008, seeking monetary damages and a permanent prohibition on further printing or distribution of the book.
Royall’s lawsuit is part of a national trend. Similar suits have been filed in Tennessee, Missouri, Washington and elsewhere by developers and government officials looking to silence critics of eminent domain for private gain. Earlier, when the Gore family – owners of Western Seafood and the original victims of Royall’s eminent domain abuse effort in Freeport – complained against Royall’s actions, he sued them for defamation.” (Read more at ij.org)
Free to Design: Florida Entrepreneurs Take On the Interior Design Cartel
(Read more at ij.org)