Panorama City, CA (PRWEB) December 16, 2005
The Libertarian Party of California has thrown its support behind “The Homeowners & Private Property Protection Act of 2006,” a state constitutional amendment initiative filed by Sen. Tom McClintock that would limit state and local governments’ use of eminent domain to bona fide public purposes such as roads and public facilities. The proposed amendment, which specifically bars the taking of private property for transfer to another private owner or where the “public purpose” is to increase tax revenue, also is supported by Jon Coupal, president, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, and Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby.
“With the recent 'Kelo' decision by the Supreme Court [case no. 04-108], the federal government has abandoned private property owners in favor of aggressive local governments and politically powerful special interests who now have carte blanche to condemn anyone's home or business in order to advance nearly any conceivable government objective,” said LPC Chairman Aaron Starr. “The only recourse for the people of each state to put a stop to this runaway abuse of eminent domain is through state-level legislation or constitutional amendments. This initiative does just that. It puts right in California what 'Kelo' has broken.”
Adds Dan Wiener, secretary of the LPC, "People of all political stripes are justifiably outraged that local cities and agencies can forcibly take their homes and then just transfer the property to another private owner or corporation. Increased tax revenue is not the 'public use' people understood that eminent domain was reserved for. The Supreme Court gutted the Fifth Amendment in the Kelo decision, and The Homeowners & Private Property Protection Act of 2006 has been carefully drafted to restore our rights. There are provisions that require the government agency to state the public purpose which any condemned property is going to be put to, and protections against bait-and-switch tactics."
“The Libertarian Party of California wants to be among the first and fiercest supporters of this measure, which restores the primacy of private property rights amongst the protections provided by the state constitution,” concludes Starr.
The Libertarian Party of California encourages all eligible Californians to sign the initiative petition and vote for The Homeowners & Private Property Protection Act of 2006.
About the Libertarian Party of California:
The Libertarian Party of California represents voters who are socially tolerant and fiscally responsible. Just last year, the Libertarian Party of California helped defeat $4.2 Billion in tax increases.
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