Eminent Domain Abuse
Eminent domain, the act of taking private property for the public good, with or without the permission of the owner, generally with just compensation, is something most private property owners will never have to face, and thank goodness for that. On occasion eminent domain can be definite necessity, as in the case of schools, hospitals, fire stations and other public good purposes, but more and more often this law is being misused and abused under highly questionable validity and impropriety where it benefits specific individuals rather than the public. Private property owners that fall victim to this more often than not are farmers and ranchers; as is currently happening now in Idaho where two bills are currently being considered by the legislature that would ban the use of eminent domain for the taking of private property for the sole use of recreational purposes. The current trend of using an expansive and twisted version of eminent domain for personal gain needs to stop. In fact, perhaps the very concept of eminent domain needs to be reevaluated since it so obviously contradicts the very principle of property rights.