And the City’s politicians and bureaucrats just like him better. And why shouldn’t they – he’s providing tax revenue that helps pay for their salaries and their pensions. Of course so does your tax money – but you have no choice and Bruce Ratner does. Don’t like it? Who cares? You are just an ordinary citizen. Bruce has friend’s in the government.
Eminent Domain is no longer about replacing slums with hospitals (if it ever was). Admit it – It’ s now just the latest trick politicians use to feed their unquenchable thirst for more money and more power over every aspect of your life.
Michael White has a great piece “Columbia Pulls a Kelo”in yesterday’s New York Sun (online version) that points out how there is money to be made in the business of seizing what you thought was your property.
A few actually seem to believe the process is moral or productive. Mayor Bloomberg once commented that potential federal limits on eminent domain would limit NYC’s ability to control it’s own future. Our mayor seemed to miss the point that eminent domain rather limits property owner’s ability to control their futures. Our mayor is famous for thinking he knows best how we all should live.
But even good soldiers in the war against personal freedom seem to admit that the process by which government seizes people’s homes and businesses is flawed at best. In August, Supreme Court Justice Stevens lamented his Kelo position saying that “the free play of market forces is more likely to produce acceptable results in the long run than the best-intentioned plans of public officials.” DUH! Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Dan Doctoroff – the guy that said the free market and the interests of the city were incompatible – has now admitted that he never should have agreed to let Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project ignore the City’s ULURP process. OOPS – None Killed. A few people lost their homes but who’s counting? We have to assume the government knows best right? If they don’t like the law – they can just get the Supreme Court to “clarify” it or ignore it altogether.
It almost looks as if they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore. They will take your home or your business – because they can. Big government costs big money. Somebody has to sacrifice. And you can bet it won’t be Bruce Ratner, or the New York Times, or Columbia or Michael Bloomberg or Dan Doctoroff.