States Acting to Protect Private Property

The L.A.Times reports:

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that local governments could seize private property and hand it over to developers has set off a landslide of legislation in statehouses around the country.

Since the court expanded the definition of eminent domain in June in Kelo vs. City of New London, lawmakers in 47 states have introduced more than 325 measures to protect private property.

As many Democrats as Republicans have written these bills and constitutional amendments, sometimes moved by their own situations, such as fear that their aging parents' homes might be targeted.

"I have never seen a response to a Supreme Court decision this dramatic," said Larry Morandi, a land-use specialist for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "It is a gut issue, not a partisan issue at all. Whether you are a Massachusetts Democrat or a Republican in South Dakota, you are concerned about your home."

Eminent domain is nothing more than government theft.With much of the public sensitive to the issue, now is the time to get a constitutional admendment passed.