The Pandora’s Box of Power

                                                                       by Kenneth Prazak

  The frog is just about finally cooked. As the heat is turned up notch by almost-imperceptible-notch, the frog has become comfortable as the room-temperature water in the pot was slowly raised to a relaxed, lazy warmth. Unfortunately, the frog attending to his daily needs never realizes his predicament by the time the water reaches the boiling point. And those who would bathe us in governmental "security", largesse, and regulation, have turned up the heat of tyranny to nearly 240°F. We, the people, are nearly cooked.

  Liberty is an elusive concept. Richard Allen White once said, "Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to give it to others". The Ten Commandments says it differently, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods, " "Thou shalt not steal."

  The Kane County Forest Preserve District has gone beyond coveting. In its zeal to not only covet but own some nice pieces of real estate, it has used its eminent domain powers to force property owners to give up their land to the coveters--and at a fraction of the true market value. Who are the coveters?

  Well, the Forest Preserve District Board that voted to use eminent domain power to obtain land for "open space" is one group. Also, all of those people (tyranny is always imposed by and for "the will of the people") who supported and voted to use somebody else’s money (taxpayer dollars) to take what they wanted from private sources to preserve "open space" is another. (People always have the option of forming not-for-profit corporations to buy open space the honest way, or contribute to groups like The Nature Conservancy who already do that.)

  "But we didn’t know they would use eminent domain!?," those people cry out. Well haven’t those people learned their lessons yet? We didn’t know . . .

  We didn’t know the social security number would be used for identification purposes, after all, they passed a law prohibiting that.

  We didn’t know the income tax would be so burdensome. After all, they promised that only 5% of the people would be taxed no more than 5% of their incomes. (More coveting again.)

  We didn’t know government would use the RICO laws against abortion protestors. It was supposed to be used only on the crime syndicate. ("Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.")

  When it isn’t ones ox that is being gored, too many people opt for the power of government to alter something they don’t like. What most people don’t realize is that when you enlist your agent, governmental power, to gore your neighbor’s ox, your neighbor will gore his neighbor’s ox, and the act of goring begins to become popular. Before you know it, your own ox has become gored, and to paraphrase the late, great Senator Dirksen of Illinois, "Pretty soon, you’re talking real goring."

  "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

  The Pandora’s Box of governmental power is opened when it is first used to take away a possession or a right from one person at the behest of another.

  The intent of our founding fathers to allow the use of forced possession, eminent domain, was to provide for the establishment of what they considered necessary public goods-- roads, bridges, etc. But for open space? No way.
Unfortunately, the US Supreme Court has opened up a Pandora’s Box of power by allowing a wide variety of takings to occur under the use of eminent domain. Quite popular in Illinois is the use of Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIFs) that forces residents and businesses off their property to make way for "the will of the people." This "will of the people" allows the likes of Sears, Wal-Mart and Donald Trump to become exempt from taxes for which Joe six-pack must take up the slack. And when Joe doesn’t pay enough to suit the needs of bureaucrats, the school districts and their ilk cry out for more and more goring of Joe’s ox. Historical sites like the Arlington School of Music (part of the underground railroad during Civil War times) get demolished for a private condominium parking garage in Arlington Heights. A variety of businesses in Elgin are swept away to make way for a mayor’s edifice complex. Now South Elgin is pursuing the same.
Since we don’t have Constitutional protection against these immoral power grabs, it is up to us Joe six-packs to elect the right politicians who will refrain from this lust for power. The Republicans and Democrats with rare exception are manifestly guilty of this lust for power.

  If there is any hope left for people who truly believe in the concept of liberty , there is only one political choice left that stands forthright for liberty and against government power; that is the Libertarian Party. To certify to become a member of the Libertarian Party a member signs this statement, " I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals." The use of eminent domain is the use of force. It will take elected Libertarians to put that use of force back into Pandora’ Box.