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Comments on: Ballot Initiatives https://whynow.dumka.us/2006/10/22/ballot-initiatives/ On-line Opinion Magazine...OK, it's a blog Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:25:03 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 By: Bryan https://whynow.dumka.us/2006/10/22/ballot-initiatives/comment-page-1/#comment-18217 Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:25:03 +0000 http://whynow.dumka.us/2006/10/22/ballot-initiatives/#comment-18217 That’s exactly the kind of thing that has been going on all over Florida, only, after the land is acquired for a “public” purpose, it suddenly becomes surplus and is sold to developers. This is in addition to actually condemning peoples’ houses for parking for commercial buildings.

]]> By: Steve Bates https://whynow.dumka.us/2006/10/22/ballot-initiatives/comment-page-1/#comment-18214 Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:10:37 +0000 http://whynow.dumka.us/2006/10/22/ballot-initiatives/#comment-18214 Eminent domain for private purposes is scary stuff… and about as far from conservative as I can imagine. What rights do conservatives consider sacred, if not gun rights and property rights?

In Houston, along Richmond Ave., a very long street with everything from upscale hi-rise office buildings and fancy restaurants to middle-class homes to shopping centers, you’ll see thousands of tiny signs stuck in residents’ lawns, opposing light rail along Richmond. As much as I would enjoy rail on Richmond for the sheer convenience of it, I side with the homeowners. Why? Because the citizenry voted on a Metro plan to put that rail line on another street (Westpark)… and powerful forces are pressing the city and Metro to build it along Richmond anyway, to benefit their own commercial interests. Did the election mean nothing? We’re talking about a “taking” comparable to anything I’ve read about in Florida or Ohio… and it’s entirely for private commercial interests, not the public interest. I’m an enthusiastic backer of mass transit in Houston… but the city must not be allowed to get away with doing this in behalf of their cronies, or we’re all vulnerable to similar theft.

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