I hope you all enjoyed the lesson on eminent domain. I think you all learned quite a bit, and hopefully you've already gone home and shared with your families what you've learned about this important issue. I hope that understand that anyone can be affected by this government "tool." Now I want you to sound off – I want to know what you think. Here's a little something to get you started:
"This is America. This is a country with free enterprise. You have all the rights to own your property, your own home, your own business. You have the right to build your American dream."
"The use of eminent domain is a delicate tool, but it is a tool and it helps keep a community clean; it helps keep a community vibrant. It's a good tool and, definitely, I don't think it should be taken away."
These are quotes by two of the people interviewed in the film Unintended Consequences: Eminent Domain. Use them to get your thoughts rolling. Does eminent domain have a role to play in our communities? What should government do to protect private property rights? What can we do as citizens to ensure that these rights are protected? I don't expect you to answer the questions directly (but you may as part of your thought process). These questions are intended to help you think about the issue.
This will be an open forum, which means your comments should post immediately. Do not copy the thoughts of those that post before you, but you can certainly work off of them. That means that you can comment on a comment – you can disagree, agree, or just comment on the thoughts of someone else – but give me your ideas.
Here are few links:
An interesting story from CBS News
http://www.reason.org/eminentdomain/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain
Your comments must be posted by the of Sunday, March 15.
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26 comments:
yea im the first
ok now,
i think that eminent domain could be a very good thing or a very bad thing. It could be a good thing if they were taking your house to put a good thing there such as a school or any other good thing like that but not if they are going to use the space for a car lot.
It could be a very bad thing. It is wrong for someone to take your home even when you do not want to give it away.
Of course i think that it would be good for education wise but i would not think so if they were taking my house!!!
In the video that we watched theyt made Eminent Domain seem like such a bad thing. they made the old woman that was 100 years old leave her house. they tried to taske away the restaraunt for a car lot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i totaly agree with DeErica, i think that if someone is getting their business, house, or whatever, they should recieve what it should cost in either another place for there job, $$, or a new house, i mean i know it is hard because of house finances and stuff, but it still doesnt make it right
by the may im the 2nd one to blog
ha
I think eminent domain is just bad all together. I mean if someone already owns the property, government shouldn't have power to take it away at all. I mean wow, they have really overdone themselves! Taking a resteraunt to expand a stupid car lot and thats only one of the times they misused eminent domain. If they tighten the rules people are still going to find away around it but if you get rid of it all together there won't be anything for the government to get around. The government is taking away to many of our rights. If people keep letting them get away with things that they shouldn't, eventually, the USA won't be a free country anymore!!!!
when I watched the film on eminent domain, i couldn't believe that some people agreed with this concept. i myself think that eminent domain is unfair and shouldn't be considered a tool and shouldn't be used at all to take things that don't belong to you. I consider it bad, if you own property and work for it it isn't right for someone to just come to you and tell you to leave. Despite what I think, cities still use this "tool" to take peoples homes and lives. In my community eminent domain isn't as major a factor as the bad housing market. Not many homes/properties have been tooken by eminent domain that I know of. i think that gov. should pass a law that says that eminent domain should be banished and not used ever. This is a violation of personal/property rights. You have the right to own property. As citezens, the least we could do to help would be protect people in need, and those affected by this concept by protesting.
Momoitin is adam d. from f period.
I agree with De'Erica eminent domain can be good or bad. Its good that the government are trying to benifit us as a community by building schools, roads, hospitals, ect. But when they take your property by using eminent domain and us it to extended a parking lot or use it for something that doesn't benifit the community in a sensible way then it is just wrong. With the economy being the way it is people can't efford to lose their home even with comp. because they don't pay you what ur house it worth. Taking someone's home and shelter in inhuman and just wrong. If it was their home they wouldn't want it to be TAKEN from them to use as a stupid thing like a PARKING lot.
If eminent domain were to take my house i would totally protest, i would do everything in my power to make a point to the government and stay where i am living. Your home has memories in it that you can't leave behind and they take that.
Also, I agree with De'Erica again the movie made eminent domain seem horrible, but there is ONE upside. When they do it for education, health, ect.
well. you know what. im tired of agreeing with people and being kind of "well its good and bad" blah blah blah. so here i go:
eminent domain i stupid. the government should not have the right to take something from citizens that is not theirs (if the owner can afford it that is - if they are not paying for it properly then it is not theirs and the government should take it). we dont need any new roads or schools or anything. i mean arnt we perfectly comfortable the way we are? and anyway we should save the earth and save trees, not steal peoples property and cut down all the trees for stupid things.
now i think that eminent domain can be a good "tool" like that one guy said. but not a weapon. i think that if you dont want to give up your home you shouldnt have to. if the government can provide you with what you think is just compensation and a good reason to take your home (which they should be doing in the first place) then you should have a reason to want to move and then we wouldnt have this debate!
if eminent domain wasnt being abused then i dont see anything wrong with a school or hospital (if one is needed- if not then save the earth! lol). so then yeah, there we go, just blame the government and everything makes sense. lol
eminent domain is stupid
to use eminent domain to take someones property is like taking someones life and all they have worked for. It isn't fair to take something that isn't yours and it surely isn't right to take peoples homes for no money to the owners. I would like to have eminent domain turned illiegal because I think it isn't right.
ok, so here's my take on M&M's Domain:
there are two different ways to look at it and they are both very different. It is good for making the community a better place and removing dangers from the public, such as buildings that could fall down any minute. The problem with this is the second side of it: It's the classic case of, "It's only funny until it happens to you." I know that none of us would want the government taking away our property, even if they provided just compensation. This would possibly make us move away from tally and all of our good friends... which none of us want.
It's a double edged sword, and what can you do about it?
Nothing
And that's just the way it is.
And by the way, great job kelly. you just save the world one tree at a time.
I totally agree with tom. I dont want my house taken away, and no else does. i mean enless they live in a cardboard box and can get some $$ off it, lol. but anyways, the thing that bothers people the most i that they dont want to lose what they have, i mean thats like winning a game, but not having it count because the other contestant is better.
another thing, i think that the people who r being affected by eminent domain should have a say, i mean if the government is discussing about a house being torn down, it would make sense for the person that lives in that house to be in the discussion
Like Kelly Ann, im tired of agreeing with people but most of you guys are right (oops, i did it again). It is a bad thing but at the same, it has proven to be a good thing. And, i can understand where controversy would arise and Mr. Veliz's example deminstrated how eminent domain can be both good and bad.
The people that live in the houses that got torn down wouldn't have like it. But all of the other peoples houses that got flooded would have liked the houses being torn down to create a retention pond.
But the are other cases where i would consider eminent domain uncalled for. Just like in the video where the guy's diner was being torn down just so that a car dealership could park more cars.
I think eminent domain is still important though. Just take falschasea as an example. There were a few houses back there, but for all of the other residents, puttin a walmart and costco there made shopping convienient.
;D
Eminent Domain is a really retarted thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tom. I agree with you all the way, which I usually do on most issues. But I have something to add which hasn't been said yet, which I usually do. I think that it should be used with the owners consent.(Them being ok with it.)
Some people might want to leave their house because of bad memories. Because unlike everybody is saying, you don't recieve good memories from everything. Like maybe a vacation that went terribly and forced you to stay in a disgusting hotel with other people you never met. Kinda like in those one phone comercials. Anyway, if the government does take your house it should be for a good reason. And I mean a really good reason. They should provide you with a hotel room while you're looking for a house. They should also give you more than 'just compensation', because a certain amount is not enough for a part of your life. Eminent Domain is a tricky American tool.
Word.
Yes Dave, you and I do agree on many, many things. Now I'm agreeing with you. You should be provided with comfortable living conditions by the government until you find a home: Not exactly a Hilton but not exactly a motel that has rats and roaches. I would hate that.
And yes Dave. Word indeed.
I think that the way the people who wrote the constitution phrased it, Eminent Domain was a very good thing. Although it would make some people a little unhappy, well, its going to make a lot of good things happen. Like the case of Mr. Veliz's neighborhood. Would you rather live in a neighboor hood that gets flooded all the time or a new house? but i think that if they dont give you just compensation that it can be a very bad thing. I also agree with Dave in that if the owner doesnt want to sell, they should have some really good public use to take it.
I also think that if the government keeps taking the property for commercial uses, soon all the small buisness owners will soon have nothing left.
Someone once said, "What's mine is yours". It is true, the land of the free belongs to us all. In that sense the government does have the right to throw you out of your own home and desert you to the bitter cold. The truth of the matter is we cannot eliminate eminent domain. You see, Joe, if we cease the practice of eminent domain, sure there wouldn't be anything for the government to sneak around, but at least with eminent domain there is something blocking them. I think eminent domain was once a good idea, but these days the government isn't using it properly. Instead they use it to tear down people's homes and put in a new McDonalds or a new Wal Mart. If we let the government tear down a home of our neighbor or our friend and we don't protest and complain, they will never learn the power of the people and just come bang on your door and tell you the same thing. You love your house. Your home is the place where you relax after a long day, the place where you raised your children. The place where you have lived for a long time and spent long hours working to make enough money to buy your own home and say, "This is mine". You love your home with a passion that no one else could ever feel about it, and that is why you would fight for it just the same as you would fight for any of your inalienable rights. The only reason that the government has to take your own home away from you is to put up a school or a library or a hospital. So the next time the government tries to seize your home sweet home to put up a Super Lube, go to the courts and tell them that the Constitution clearly states that what they are doing violates your basic American rights and that you will not lose your property and your home to a Super Lube.
I think that eminant Domain is useful. If the people are not paying their bills then they need some way to to pick it up. They dont just use Eminant Domain for no reason at all, I looked it up and it explains how it is only for people who are not paying their bills and the banks. Im not saying that htey dont do it for no reason but sometimes its useful. Life as we know it is a crucial crucial world. Eminant Domain is not the only thing that is ruining peoples life their is also forclosure and bankrumpcy. So the world is at its lowest right now but if we work together we can get the job done!
i think eminent domain is a good thing, because yes i think you have your own right to own your own property,house, business. Its yours and i don't think it would be right for the government to just take it away from you. If you were an old senior citizen and you lived right next to your grandchildren, you'd be able to see them everyday and they make you happy, but the government took away your home and sent a bus to get you and your things to send you to an old retirement home a long way away from your grandchildren and you only got to see them maybe twice or three times a month, that's not fair! its wrong!!!
ok i read over a lot of the comments, and what i said may have been a wrong. really the eminent domain is double sided. both sides have an equal argument. It may be wrong to have your house taken away from you but also it may be good so they can build a homeless shelter, or an animal shelter! Or if your business was taken from you yea you wouldn't like that and its wrong to take something that itsn't yours, but it could be good like your old business building could be made into a soup kitchen or a church or something. If you think about it both ways really theres always going to be that "but" in it (not in a wrong way or course)
momoitin is da bowss
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