Eminent Domain Wars, Part 2

Yesterday we talked about the eminent domain battle that is just beginning to heat up in Nashville.  This battle involves the huge corporation, Lionstone Group, vs. the tiny little next door neighbor, Joy Ford.

Ford is standing in the way of progress, according to some.  Get rid of her miniature, dollhouse sized building and plop down that large office/condo complex.

But there’s a much greater issue at stake here.  Property rights. If you don’t believe your property is safe from seizure, you really can’t invest in real estate.

Wait a minute.  What about the new office/condo?  Don’t they have a right to invest also? Won’t they be paying a whole lot more property taxes than Ford?

That’s not the point.  Ford got there first.  If they want her land so badly, they’ll have to pay big bucks to convince her to give up the sentimental value of her building; a building where country music hits of the past  were created.  (Isn’t this the main theme in most Westerns?)

Here’s where it gets interesting.

As we discussed yesterday, Ford has a new ally, The Institute of Justice.  They’re in the process of convincing her to stay out of court.

What?

Shouldn’t she have her day in court to receive justice?

No.  It’s too expensive and the court will most likely side with Lionstone.

The Institute of Justice thinks there’s a better way, and here’s today’s lesson.  Try your case in public.

Organize people to get involved on a grassroots level. 

Does Lionstone really want that?  Probably not.

More importantly, the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency doesn’t want that. Could it be the MDHA is very aware of what the public thinks? Does the MDHA really want to beat this woman down in public while appearing to side with Lionstone- all for the benefit of more tax dollars?

Here’s the problem for them.  Eminent domain is not popular with the public. It never has been.

Most people don’t like seeing the little guy or gal thrown off his or her land.  It’s the deep  American dream of owning your own house, business and land that they’re tinkering with.  And just like the theme of almost every Western you’ve ever watched, it’s as passionate today as it ever was.  Proceed with extreme caution.

Other Interesting Discussions About Eminent Domain:

Prop 98: Real eminent domain reform –

Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association PO Box 400 … –

McCain On The Judiciary, Kelo, & Originalism –

Popularity: 11% [?]

• Ten Tips for Better Corporate Blog Traffic pt 2 Once your readers are sure that your blog is updated often, they will have a reason to continue coming back to check out the new content, because they know that they will find something new every time that they visit. Not only will they bookmark your blog, then, but they......
• Restaurant Solutions: Making Your Online Presence Known In today’s market every business needs to have an online presence. The Internet is the great leveler of players in a world market where anything can be bought or sold at competitive prices. The Internet has been an incredible tool for small businesses, especially because it allows smaller retailers and......
• Looking Beyond Proposition 8 to a Real Solution Once again the people of California have spoken, and once again they voted to ban same sex marriage. The battle was hard fought, but the work is far from over. The sun barely came up on Wednesday November 5th, and there were already three cases filed in the California courts......
• The need for Public Relations as well as Consequences on Business Success How can you perceive the idea of “public relations” in your business?  How can you rank its importance or its priority?  The answer is very easy.  Public relations or often called PR isn't just an important part to your business, this is a very crucial factor that can dictate if......