Give Less Power to Governments on All Levels

As published on the website for the Arlington Sun Gazette:

Editor: The recent debates about the Views at Clarendon project in Arlington and legislation in the General Assembly have convinced me of something I have always feared: People only want a powerful government when it is on their side.

I imagine that much praise for the Arlington County government could be heard when they used their power to create zoning laws that pleased the neighbors. Now, we see great uproar as they contemplate using that same power against the neighbors.

The Views at Clarendon project isn't about affordable housing, churches, zoning, or any of the other superficial things being debated. It is about government power. Giving government the power to restrict how property is used may seem beneficial to some, at some point in time, but, in the end, it seems to always come back to hurt one or both parties involved.

Power is only as good as the people who hold it, and in a democracy those people change quite often.

The best solution is to give up as little power as possible, and quit looking to government to solve our problems.

We need to start giving serious consideration to all proposals that take power out of the hands of the people and put it into a board, council, legislature or Congress.

Eminent Domain in Virginia

The following letter was sent, in the form of an email, to Delegate Eisenberg and Senator Whipple:

I am writing regarding the "85% amendment" to HB 2954 that was accepted by the Senate this week. I want to explain one of the reasons why many Virginians oppose this amendment. If properties that are not blighted can be taken through eminent domain solely due to the condition of the surrounding properties, private development will be discouraged. Why would I, or someone like me, decide to privately develop a parcel of land if the chance were great that my property would be included in a taking of surrounding land? If HB 2954 is passed with the 85% amendment, the ONLY way that blighted areas will be redeveloped is through government intervention and eminent domain, meaning that governments will have to pay just compensation. It actually works better for the government if a private developer buys the land and develops it, because the tax base is increased without just compensation payments from the government.

I urge you to do everything in your power to pass complete eminent domain reform without this amendment.