What right is more fundamental to Americans than to own your
own property and be left alone? It is so fundamental that the Founders wrote it
into the Bill of Rights.
Government sometimes uses its power of eminent domain to
take private land for public use. That's
how interstate highways and railroads were created. It is a drastic power that should seldom be
used.
Self-restraint is no longer something we can count on our
government to exercise, as New Jersey homeowners are finding out, and as CFACT
senior policy analyst Bonner Cohen explains.
(http://www.cfact.org/?p=26486&utm_source=CFACT+Updates&utm _campaign=717d7 c3510-New_Jersey_land_grab1 _28_2016 &utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a28eaed b56-717d7c3510-270308565)
:
"Up and down the Jersey shore – in places like
Mantoloking, Brick, Margate, Bay Head, Jenkinson’s Beach, Point Pleasant Beach,
and Long Beach Island – oceanfront property owners see the state’s sand-dune
plan as a pretext to seize more private land. Once the land is owned by the
state, they fear, there will be nothing to stop construction of boardwalks,
public rest rooms, and even Ferris wheels near their homes. Furthermore,
property values, which are linked to oceanfront views, will suffer accordingly.
And lower property values will result in less revenue for cash-strapped local
governments."
You can read Bonner's full article at CFACT.org. (http://www.cfact.org/?p=26486&utm _source=CFACT+Updates&utm_campaign=717d7c3510-New_Jersey_land_grab 1_28_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a28eaedb56-717d7c3510-270308565)
New Jersey beachfront homeowners threatened with eminent
domain – by Bonner Cohen, Ph. D., 1/28/16
A plan by state
officials in New Jersey to use eminent domain to build sand dunes on privately
owned, oceanfront beaches is encountering stiff resistance from affected
property owners, who see the action as nothing less than a government land
grab. New Jersey’s 127-mile coastline is dotted with private beaches. The area
was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, and since then the state
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers have determined that sand dunes will limit the damage wrought by
future storms. But seventeen oceanfront property owners are suing the state,
arguing that the DEP lacks the legal right to use eminent domain to seize
beachfront property for the proposed sand dune project. “Protected by the
Constitution’s Bill of Rights” “The government’s power of eminent domain is is
an extreme power that must be carefully and properly used because of the
ramifications,” Anthony Dellapelle, one of the lawyers for the homeowners told
the Associated Press. “Private property rights are fundamental rights protected
by the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.” Up and down the Jersey shore – in places
like Mantoloking, Brick, Margate, Bay Head, Jenkinson’s Beach, Point Pleasant
Beach, and Long Beach Island – oceanfront property owners see the state’s
sand-dune plan as a pretext to seize more private land. Once the land is owned
by the state, they fear, there will be nothing to stop construction of
boardwalks, public rest rooms, and even Ferris wheels near their homes.
Furthermore, property
values, which are linked to oceanfront views, will suffer accordingly. And
lower property values will result in less revenue for cash-strapped local
governments, they add. For their part, Garden State officials say sand dunes
offer coastal communities the best protection against flooding and insist on
using eminent domain to bring the privately owned beaches under their control.
Local property owners dispute this, pointing out that wooden bulk heads and
rock walls – both financed by oceanfront homeowners — are more effective than
sand dunes. Multiple Suits Filed Opponents of eminent domain have already had
some success in the courtroom. The Washington Times (Jan. 22) reports that
plaintiffs in Margate, just outside of Atlantic City, have prevented
construction of sand dunes in their seaside community. Similarly, residents of
privately owned Jenkinson’s Beach have tied up the DEP in court and are now in
settlement talks with the state. So far, the state has filed condemnation cases
against 86 oceanfront properties. Eminent domain is a power tool; it allows for
the taking, albeit with compensation, for what is said to be for the public
good. It enabled the construction of the Interstate Highway System, but it has
also been used by government to favor one private interest over another. No one
wants to limit the damaged caused by storms coming from the Atlantic more than
oceanfront property owners. Along the Jersey shore, homeowners are willing to
spend their own money to protect their homes from whatever Mother Nature serves
up, and they are right to stand up to bullies in Trenton.
http://www.cfact.org/2016/01/28/new-jersey-beachfront-homeowners-threatened-with-eminent-domain/?utm _source=CFACT%20Updates&utm_campaign=717d7c3510-New_Jersey_land_grab1_28_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a28eaedb56-717d7c3510-270308565
We need to get our government back under control. Eminent
domain is like amputation; it should never be used unless there is no other
viable solution. For nature and people too,
Craig Rucker, Executive Director, cfact.org
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