Calling Mr. Boortz!

Yesterday, on his radio show, Neal Boortz continued to discuss the improper use of eminent domain by governments. A proper use might be for the construction of a road. The kind of improper uses he is spotlighting are like those of the case of the New York Times: a large corporation becomes a jilted suitor in its' attempt to purchase land from its' current owners. Frustrated, they go to municipal government and lobby for the literal theft and transfer of the land on the basis that their use will generate greater tax revenues than the current use.

Ironically, hypocritically, the New York Times has long railed against corporations bullying the 'little guy' on their editorial pages. In real life, the Times is the same corporate bully they decry.

You ask, 'so what'? Isn't a greater tax net a greater good for all citizens? After all, more money can then be put into programs and services.

No. Theft is theft, and theft is never justified. Even if employed to fend off starvation, theft is the negation of someone's right to property. The so-called 'social justice' espoused by so many in this world is the assert of the right to violate another human being. That is not justice. It's the ugliest possible side of democracy: mob rule. Democracy must be more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. When a government sanctions theft, it encourages anarchy. When corporate dollars merge with government power, the small business owner best beware, if not flee.

I called Neal to remind him and his listeners that there is a non-profit, legal defense organization that defends the rights that matter, the ones the ACLU leaves out, namely property rights. That group, which defends all Ten Amendments of the Bill of Rights, is called the Institute for Justice. Here's hoping that Neal will interview one of their lawyers soon.