If You Build It, They Will Take It

re: Jonathan V. Last, "Eminent domain appeared in the presidential campaign recently when Sen. John McCain addressed the Supreme Court's 2005 Kelo decision. In a speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, McCain called Kelo "one of the most alarming reductions of freedom in our lifetimes." In the course of defending property rights, McCain promised to appoint Supreme Court justices who would take the Constitution seriously and said he might "seek to amend the Constitution to protect private property rights in America." /To those who follow the issue, it was bracing stuff. The questions of how and when property may be taken for public use--and what constitutes just compensation when property is taken--are vital but technical. It's a rare day when they make their way into a politician's stump speech. The only hiccup came afterwards. In an interview with Power Line's Paul Mirengoff, McCain pointed to Iowa as a good example of how states can and should respond to the Kelo decision. In reality, Iowa is a good example of how slippery eminent domain reform can be..."...