Life, liberty and property

The Trib celebrates that the Michigan Supreme Court has overturned a 20-year ruling that allowed government to use eminent domain to forcibly buy property from one private owner and sell it to another in the name of economic development. It is constitutionally acceptable for governments to require owners to sell their private property for a public purpose, such as a road or a school, but using eminent domain to favor one private economic interest over another--an all too common practice in communities nationwide over the past several decades--is an abuse of power. The court in this case said that if government has the power to force you to sell your property because it deems another owner can better serve the public good, then the right to own private property is under constant threat. Amen.