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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38 comments:
I think that Eminent Domain has a role in our community. If a property has to be destroyed for some reason,(it has to be for emergency or something very important such as hospitals etc...)the government must build the same property somewhere else and in a good location. If the government wants to build something that they don't need, then the government cannot build it. If the government has to build the property, and they don't build a property for the owner who's property is going to be destroyed, then the people have the right to object the property that the government wants to build.
i think eminent domain is OK, they should make stricter rules to be able to do that. like: at a certain amount of income you shouldn't be able to take everything away from them. (because they may be poor, and it wouldn't be fair). Next, they can only take it away if they agree to it. (most people would agree to give it away for some thing that will help the community.) I also think that, eminent domain should be the last resort. i see many open fields and swampy areas that they can do stuff to!!!??? the reason america was formed, was to be free from a harsh leadership. now, if your land got taken away, your going to be mad, and think --- What the crap!!? i have a job, income, kids, why would they take my land away from me? i pay for it, my bills were payed!!????? they don't have the right to do that (even though they can.) its my property, who says they can come on MY land and just take it!!!???? yeah, i think only if the person has a good reason to keep it, they should keep it!!
Eminent domain i think is a hard choice to make. I t could help the economy and all but i think it can hurt as many people as it could help. I think that the goverment should be careful and think over who and what opportunities they take away as much as what oppurtunities they open up. I think they should do what they have to do with eminent domain but help the people they hurt by helping them get a new job or a new home. I think that if the person that the take from has the write to their own property so that if people try to take from them they have an oppurtunity to take it to court and challenge some decisions. I mean if the person is already struggling in life they shoeld definately think of them before they think of the economy and help them. They should at least give the people they are taking away from a 2 month notice so they can get their life straight and start to look to find a new job or look for a place to stay. They should also look into finding this person a loan and maybe persuade the banks to help them out. The government should also have eminent domain as their last thought and try to improbe the economy in that area in another way first!
i agree with anna eminent domain is ok in some ways, if it is put to a good use, maybe as a school, or a hospital but deff. not something that no one will use, or you dont really need like a mall or something. What happened to like free speech, etc. the people have a right to choose, and maybe giving up like 3 feet, for a sidewalk is 1 thing, but you can't force someone to sell their house to you thats just not right, some people put their lives into making their homes someplace they can go home to and relax, not worry about if the gov or someone is going to come by today saying "you need ot sell us your house" So in some case's i think its good, but in most i don't like it.
I think the usage of Eminent Domain is at its highest levels in the histor of it's usage. We should most definitely cut its usage to only for(Like Aarti said) emergencies or public useage. But, if another spot where there are no houses for sale or people living, that is where the place should be built. And anoher thing, if some one OWNS a peice of property that he government wants to build on, it is that persons property, not the governments. So, that person should have the authority to just say,"No". I also agree with Anna that we can also build on swampy land, but I also undersand the governments side of the story, they don't want, "Government spends $2,000,000,000 on new hospital to be built in endangerd aligators habitat", as a front page headline in tomorrows news. Jayson has a good point to, I agree that if a person has paid their bills, taxes, and checks that their house shouldn't be taken away from them for some dumb parking lot or another Wall-Mart. But in the governments eyes, we might need to widen very buisy and backed up roads, or a new hospital closer to the communities so more people can be saved. You know, it's funny that people don't give a crap about other people, but when the same thing happens to them they finally realize that everyone else is just as important.
u guys are all right. eminent domain has a purpose. i also agree with Aarti, if they kick people out of their homes, the gov. should place them in a home in a good location that wont cost them too much. I dont agree with Anna when I say, if they cut down the swamps and large fields, that's cutting down like......... 3 thousand animals' homes! Now, do u want to see innocent animals die, and get an ice cream and a Walmart i that situation? I dont think so! And for all of u who are probably gonna say, "Oh Sarah, ur one of those stupid tree huggers arent u!" If i was one of those animals, I certainly would not like moving place to place, searching hungrily for my single meal of the day! But, i also think eminent domain is frequently abused. Like that Diner that was about to be ripped down for a STUPID parking lot! Hello! THAT IS ONE MAJOR ABUSE!THEY USED EMINENT DOMAIN TO GET IT!!!!!!! thank u for listening and time.
Ryan, u spelled Wal-Mart wrong.
I think there should be some restrictions on eminent domain. I mean, if they're going to take your home and your friends and neighbors' homes just to build condos or hotel or whatever, then that should be allowed. However, if there is an old neighborhood that needs to be rebuilt to look good, then great, go ahead. Then again, if there are people already living there then the house should be given back to them if you plan on rebuilding that neighborhood. The government shouldn't be allowed to kick someone out of their home and hand them a few hundreds; and then resell it for 10x as much.
My great grandparents who live in Marianna were going through some rough times. They owned all these woods that me and sister grew up hunting and swiming and exploring pretending to be Indians in and all that. My great grandpa had like heart problems or something and there was something wrong with his wife too. They had all these medical bills to pay; the government wanted to take their land to build a park with. They said no but the government increased their taxes and they eventually had to cave in and give it for FREE!!! Now the 'man' has the land and won't be working on the park for 5 more years. Now people go on the land, hunt, killed my grandparents' dog Blue and they trash and pollute the land and river i used to swim in. Forgive me if i'm mistaken, but isn't that just wrong?!?!
Oops! where i said building hotels should be ok, scratch that! i meant it shouldn't be allowed
Eminent domain.
Some good use/bad use.
I think that eminent domain should be used for public property which anyone can go to.
Like schools and such.
But if they use it and dont pay an equal balance of money, I don't think its very fair.
I think the government today isn't using eminent domain in the way our forefathers wanted it used. What the government is doing is a Federalists tactic, supporting the rich and not caring about the poor. They shouldn't tear down peoples' home to build something that bring in more tax reveniew, that is just greedy. If the do plan to build something that is useful then they should pay the owner just compensation. Or at least enough the buy a new house. The owners should be able to benefit from the new building the most. The government and the owner must agree on a fair price for the property. The federal government should ad an amendment that says what exactly qualifies as public use to build something in its place. If the government doesn't pay the owners fairly or build a public building then the deal should be cancled. Eminent domain, when used correctly, is a good tool and should be kept to help the community.
I say that Eminent Domain has good and bad causes, so i can't determine whether it's right or wrong since it kind of just...HAPPENS. You can't control it so there is no point in fighting it unless your like 10000% positive your case will be heard and won. It may have a small role in our community but who ever is grasped with its hands of madness is in for a bad time. The government should protect the private properties with maybe a law that prohibits the effect of ridiculous eminent domain, for example from the video the car lot and the small business...WHO WANTS A STUPID CAR LOT TO EXPAND SO PEOPLE HAVE TO LOSE JOBS???? That sounds so dumb...we should defend our property and chain a chicken to it or something no one likes killing chickens.. except chicken killer people...OK not really but the whole point of what I'm saying is i think its kind of a neutral thing until it actually happens and whether you take action or not its your problem and you would have to find a miracle of a way to fix it.
i think that eminent domain is one of those things that everyone has a different opinion on. But i think that it is good and bad. Its good for when they are building schools, intersections, hospitals and more. But it is bad when its buildt for a parking lot like in the movie. I think if they telll someone they are going to take away there property they should have 2-4 months to look for a new home. Also i agree with anna on the part were she says they should use swampy or open land where nothing is. I think eminent domain should be the final thing they think of. I also think that they should make people sell for a fair price.
O.K. lets see, eminent domain is ok. I mean like the Tallahasee Mall, which now only consists of a couple stores. I mean, once the mall is only like three stores they should tell the owner hey youv'e got so many days until we take it. That s wrong but a libary or something else is useful.
But in Dusty's case (I'm so sory) that is horrible, they shouldn't take that type of property away because they took car of it but just couldn't pay because of health care.
Also, like that neiborhood in the movie we watched that was wrong because the people were old and they had lived their all their life.
Basically, IF their taking property from people, as in homes, i think that thats wrong. If it is in the case of the Tallahassee mall then I think they should have a warning.
I think that eminent domain can be both good and bad. It depends on how the government uses it. If a hardworking, homeowner gets their property taken away and is not paid what they should be paid, in order for a mall to be built then that wouldn't be okay. If there was a bad neighborhood with people who didn't pay their bills and didn't work, and their property was used for something good like a hospital then that would be absolutely okay. I dont like the idea of peoples property being taken away, but in some cases the outcome of eminent domain is good for the community.
Eminent domain is something that is unpredictable and something that doesn't have just one opinion about it. Most people would say it is absolutely wrong, and there are some that would say it's good for communities and keeps cities clean.
Also, if a business doesn't want to give up their businness for another business, then they shouldn't have to. The only reason eminent domain is allowed in that situation is because of tax. and there should be a warning to property owners that aren't doing what they should be doing and be given a certain amount of time to get their act together.
i agree with everyone eminent domain has a bunch of uses and the gov. makes some bad choices upon eminent domain, i mean really a cadillac parking lot(i think) expanding so they can park more of their cars there i mean come on how many people are really going to buy a car that expensive, or even go their after the dinner they loved got demolished because of it.
i think Eminet Domain is a touchy subject for soem and for others is a yes/no answer. I feel that Eminet Domain should stay in use but only for emergancies like Arti said. I feel that it would be ok to destroy a crappy old dump of an neighborhood only to help the community and if they do they should like Sarah said put them in a nicer place that they can afford and make them sign a written conctact stating that they will uphold their property and home in a respectful manner. BUT ONLY FOR EMERGANCIES, ONLY!!!!
My toughts on Eminent Domain is that it should ONLY be used for public and good uses only. Like, hospitals, schools, and so on. I hate that the government thinks they have the right to take away i nice thing, like a little restraunt/business, for more land for mabye another company, like a car buying place. I think that the owners should have the chance to decline the offer or accept the offer of their house/property being bought by the government and that they should know what the government is using it all for.
Soory i posted a little late i just got back from gator land :]
Sorry** haha
Eminent domain is acceptable, but i think they have to pay you more than you payed for the property. But if the person who owns the land doesnt want to give it up they shouldnt have to, because they payed for it. But if it was used to build a video game store that would be dumb (in my opinion), but if it was used to build a hospital or something else important that is ok. But Kellie said the use of a library was useful, but that's her opinion. In other peoples opinion that would be a dumb idea. I dont know what im really tryng to say because this is confusing. Why dont we go to '' first come, first serve'' meaning whoever gets the property first, owns it and other people can't do anything about it unless the owner of the property agrees. But in that video, when they took the house from that 100 year old lady. I think that was wrong.
I think Eminent Domain is a bad thing at sometimes. It would be bad for my house to be in risk of being torn down for a mini mall or a type of business to take away my home. My home is very importatn to me. That also goes for others. I would fight to get my house back if they were trying to build a store or any other type of business over my home. I dont mind if they were to take away my home and then help us as much as they can to get another one. I think that if somebody's house were to get torn down because it was a disgrace to the community, they should give them like a month or two to re-model.
I dont really know my position on eminent domain. I mean it can be ok and it can be bad. If the gov. were to take away some land to build a McDonalds or somethings like that, then i would be pretty mad. Take Falls Chase for example, the county tore all of those dead trees and all of those old homes down. Think about all of those animals that lost their homes(and yes, I am a tree hugger!). People need to understand that animals have a place in this world too. If there weren't animals, the human race probably wouldn't even exist. For one thing, we evolved from them and second, we kill them for food. Even the tiniest insect matters. But i can't do a thing about it. eminent domain can be also good. for example like what Kelly said, a library could be useful or most importantly, a hospital/police station. I think the more "IMPORTANT" buildings we have, the safer our community will be. I am also sorry to hear about your grandfather Dusti. The gov. shouldn't be allowed to take a person's land if they can't afford losing it. Some people have lived on land that was their family's land for over a 100 years and it was their prized possesion. Then they turn their back for one minute and the gov. takes it all away from them, in a matter of seconds. That family has just lost everything, including their family's heritage. I hate it when a place that i love to go to is destroyed for a stupid place that i don;t even care about. when the gov. takes away somthing and builds another, to me it seems like they are only benefitting themselves, and that they don't care about what other people think about their desicions because they dont realize that some people are suffering because of what they did.
Brian has a good piont it all depends on the situation. If it was your house then you would probably be againsts eminent domain. If the build a hospital in its place than that would be fine with me.
Eminet Domain has a major role in our community. It can effect everyone for the better or worse of a situation. It can help by getting rid of unwanted property that is all run down and ruined. It can help are community and pull up the bad side of the people also. The government should have a limit though. -They should have reasons for taking the property. The people they take it from should probably agree and make a certain income, and the government if it takes the property has to help the people relocate and make sure they are employed. The government should not be unconstitutional and take advantage of people and business just so their community can make money. The must follow the constitution and and create schools and hospitals with this power.
As citizens we must test the government and argue against unconstitutional cases- is probably the best way to help. Getting informed and helping people that currently are suffering from eminent domain is the one thing we can do!
I agree with Marra when she said that the government makes some bad decisions. Like in that video when those people have to give up their restraunt so the Mercedes dealer could expand their lot. But maybe that was in some rich peoples place, where all they buy are Mercedes and Cadilacs and a bunch of expensive stuff.
i agree with sanders
I compare Eminent domain to when i was a baby. I would have a lolipop, and my parents would take it from me and give me brocoli without me agreeing on it. They think its a fair price, but I dont.
i agree with everyone who says that eminent domain is good and bad with the circumstances
If Obama wants to do something about the economy then he should first address eminent domain instead of signing all these bailouts. Does anyone agree?
Oisin maybe if it really concerns you you should right a letter to Congress about it but you can't blame him, (Obama) for something indivisual state governments do. TAKE IT TO THE MAYOR OR GOVENOR!
Oisin, i dont agree with you. I think Obama knows what he's doing, but then again maybe i'm wrong.
i think that eminent domain can be a bad thing, but it can also help. if a town is short oh hospitals or police stations or other community service areas, than sometmes the government might need to use the land and if your house happens to be on that land than your out of luck. i think that it is wrong to completely take away someones house without paying what it is worth. I also think that eminent domain shouldnt be used unless it helps the public (like schools, roads, and librarys, and stuff like that).
I believe that eminent domain can be helpful and/or bad. Today people are taking eminent domain for granted and shouldn't take it like that because it may help some people but on the other hand it may be hurting someone else. Eminent domain should be used for the good of the community. But in all this you should look at this from different angles and access the matter. Lets say a small local store that has been around for 50 years is on property that a bigger known corporation wants to bring more income to the community wants. it's hurting the owner and employees of the small store but helping the community if they give there property to the larger corporation that will bring more icome to the community. So there are different approaches to the situation but which ones "right." Today government has used eminent domain for some restarted stuff such as taking property for a parking lot. But there are some good stuff eminent domain has done such as building hospitals and American red cross buildings. So i leave you to think what's your opinion. I also agree with Oisin he (Obama) should address eminent domain instead of all these bailout bills.
I did some research at this website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Eminent_domain
It says that in some cases, the land owner actually gets what they want. If their land is worth one amount, they can say they want 1 million, and in some cases they will get 1 million. This has changed my mind. As long as this happens I tink eminent domain can be good.
I think Eminent Domain plays a good role in a community.You could tear down somebody's house but put something more important in its place like a hospital or a place that can benefit the society. Eminent Domain could also play a bad role in a community because sometimes the government could tear down peoples houses and put a less beneficial place in its spot such as acholholic joint(bar) or a club.
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