August 18, 2005

Campfield: Kelo "plants seeds of insecurity, doubt"

State Rep. Stacey Campbell had a column published in the Knoxville News Sentinel recently regarding the Supreme Court's Kelo decision and legislation he proposed last year - before Kelo - to stop governmental abuse of its eminent domain power. The column is reproduced here on his blog and it is a must-read. Here's an excerpt:

Our forefathers risked everything to embark upon a bold experiment that would leave the lords and serfs of a feudal system behind, and instead built in individual property rights as a cornerstone of liberty in our new society.

The American dream of owning your own land, home or business is now threatened under the Kelo shadow-for it plants seeds of insecurity and doubt when no one knows if their property may be subject to seizure for the "economic good" of the community.

Such action returns us to pre-Magna Carta times, except the battles for property will not be won by the physically superior, but rather by the wealthiest or most politically connected. … The list of vulnerable citizens is long-from farmers, to the elderly and poor, to churches and non-profits, to the corner deli, to unsuspecting families in their dream homes. No one is immune.