Is Eminent Domain Being Abused?

Comedian Drew Carey takes a straight-faced look at eminent domain and how the land acquisition practice has gone from beneficial to abusive in National City, California in this video from Reason.

1 minute read

November 16, 2007, 5:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"Eminent domain is the constitutionally sanctioned practice of taking land for legitimate public uses. Traditionally, that's meant things like roads and schools. Over the past several decades, however, governments have gone hog wild with eminent domain, routinely condemning property and turning it over to well-connected private developers as a way of subsidizing economic development and increasing tax revenues (never mind that it doesn't always work out that way)."

"Episode 3 of The Drew Carey Project chronicles the devastating impact of eminent domain abuse on the lives of people whose property the government can threaten to take, not for public use, but for the benefit of wealthy developers."

Thursday, November 15, 2007 in Reason

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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