Thursday, October 8, 2015

Trump Favors Eminent Domain

Analysis: Real estate mogul turned presidential candidate praises practice disliked by many in GOP

It's clearly to the advantage of Donald Trump that the 2016 Republican nomination race is not about ideas — because so many of the GOP frontrunner's ideas diverge quite sharply from those of the party's conservative base whose votes he needs.

This week, the issue was “eminent domain,” the doctrine endorsed by the Supreme Court in June 2005 in the case of Kelo v. City of New London, prompting fierce criticism on the left and the right. The ruling upheld the right of a municipality to force the transfer of land from a private owner to a private developer when the redevelopment is deemed to further the public good.

But unlike the conservative and liberal critics who branded it a misinterpretation of the Constitution and a dangerous precedent, Trump called eminent domain a “wonderful thing.”

Speaking to Fox News’ Bret Baier on Tuesday, the real-estate mogul praised the process. “You're not taking property. … You're paying a fortune for that property,” he said, contending that the original owners are paid “four, five, six, ten times what it’s worth.”

Trump, citing his own experience with eminent domain in clearing areas for his property developments, said that people who resist such transfers “just want money,” and that the redevelopment created “thousands of jobs.”

2 comments:

  1. The land which was acquired by New London in this landmark case sits vacant, the prospective developers withdrew, so instead of making money the property is losing tax money for the city. What a "wonderful thing".

    ReplyDelete
  2. While I am willing to give anyone a fair listen and I have never had any real belief in his interest to be president other than one that is self serving... this outburst totally turned my constitutional head around ... it was like the Exorcist... pea soup and all.

    ReplyDelete