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The Rejection of Progress
Across the country, a coalition of property owners and political activists are trying to stop economic development in certain neighborhoods. They believe that investment in their community will do more harm than good. In many cities, neighborhoods close to downtown are being transformed from being economically depressed to vibrant hubs of commerce. New homes and…
The Enemies of Property Rights: Eminent Domain
The term “eminent domain” was taken from a legal treatise written by the Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius in 1625. He used the term dominium eminens (Latin for supreme lordship) and described the power as follows: The property of subjects is under the eminent domain of the state, so that the state or those who act…
To Bee or not to Bee
In 2016, government officials in Dorchester County, South Carolina, were concerned about mosquitoes spreading the Zika virus. They ordered aerial spraying for the mosquitoes. Millions of honey bees on the bee farm of Juanita Stanley and Mitch Yawn were killed by the spraying. Stanley and Yawn sued, claiming that the government had taken their property…
Saving Trees, Destroying Property Rights
Residents in Victoria recently sought to expand the city’s preservation ordinance to include trees. They want to prevent property owners from removing trees. The Victoria Advocate reports: [Bernard] Klimist, who has run a law firm from a historic building he renovated on Santa Rosa Street since 1991, said the property owner’s rights must be tempered…
An Open Letter to the Opponents of the Bullet Train
Texas Central Partners has threatened many Texas landowners with seizure of their property through eminent domain to build a proposed bullet train between Houston and Dallas. I share your concerns about the use of eminent domain. It is, as many of you have stated, a violation of your property rights. The right to property means…