Eminent Domain Abuses

[Mr. Cervantes]

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[Marks of Capital]

The Institute for Justice, the group behind that video, is a free-market "libertarian" public-interest law firm. Clearly, in this instance, they are correct in protecting homeowners from having their property taken and given to developer. Further study, however, offers a more hopeful view.
This can be traced back to a 2005 US Supreme Court decision, Kelo v City of New London (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London), in which the court ruled that a city may use eminent domain to transfer property from one private entity to another, rather than from private to public. (Typically, eminent domain is used for things like building roads, a public good.) The court decided that a "public good" can be met by a private group. For example, a farmer's land could be taken and given to a private developer to build a shopping mall because the mall would provide jobs, pay taxes, etc.
Groups on the left and right opposed this ruling. The right, the Institute for Justice being one, thought that this infringed on property rights and opened the door to socialism. The left argued that this gives private corporations further unchecked power to rule our country as they see fit.
There is a third conclusion from this ruling, however: It is a open door to socialism, and should be used as such. (Certainly contrary to the intent of the developers and their allies in the Supreme Court.)
For instance, when the Haskon factory (http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/business_news/x1109352570/Laid-off-Haskon-workers-to-ask-Taunton-City-Council-to-pursue-eminent-domain) in Taunton, MA closed in 2010, the workers and their union, the UE, occupied the factory and argued that the Taunton City Council should use their sweeping powers of eminent domain to confiscate the factory and give it to the workers to run, rather than let the legal owners auction off the equipment for scrap. Apparently this didn't work out, and the union used the factory occupation as leverage to get a better severance deal (http://www.ueunion.org/uenewsupdates.html?news=597). Thus no precedent was set, but I think we should work towards using eminent domain as one tool to create an Argentina-style worker takeover movement.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Apparently this didn't work out, and the union used the factory occupation as leverage to get a better severance deal (http://www.ueunion.org/uenewsupdates.html?news=597). Thus no precedent was set, but I think we should work towards using eminent domain as one tool to create an Argentina-style worker takeover movement.

I wrote about this:

http://www.revleft.com/vb/pre-cooperative-worker-t88629/index.html

Eminent domain can be used for various pro-worker measures, from cooperative takeovers to enforcing tax-to-nationalize programs to the letter.

[RED DAVE]

Eminent domain can be used for various pro-worker measures, from cooperative takeovers to enforcing tax-to-nationalize programs to the letter.Right.

These days, bourgeois governments are lining up to set up coop takeovers and nationalization programs.

Social democracy strikes again.

RED DAVE