Doug Henwood wrote:
> >The reality is that those passing STATE restrictions on LOCAL powers,
> >usually white legislatures in places like Texas taking away powers from
> >black and latino-dominated cities, are based on a corporate-funded
> >agenda.
>
> Why do you think I support that? Did I ever suggest that for a
> second? In NewmanWorld, one is either a hardcore union loyalist or a
> rightwing enemy of the working class; one is either a supporter of
> the right of noble hardworking communities to do urban planning or of
> nefarious corporate interests trying to take that right away from
> them.
-I would more or less agree with this on this topic, but it is worth -noting that Nathan's hard either/ors are more tightly tied to practice -(albeit what I think is a wrong-headed practice) than is Doug's -pluralism. It is easy to say that one doesn't have to go _either_ east -_or_ west_; one may go ESE, N, NNW etc. But in a given case one _may_ be -in a narrow alley, and if one moves _at_ all, one moves either to the -east or the west. -Action almost always reduces the world of plentiful choice to a Yes/No -binary. In practice, you either support the DP or you don't. Only in -armchair speculation can one do both. Nathan has chosen to support it.
In this case, Carroll nails the issue on the head. This whole thread started with discussion of the laws being passed in reaction to Kelo and my condemning those laws. I was then told that because I opposed those laws, I must therefore support all the abuses that have happened with eminent domain, when I specifically said I would support alternative reforms, just not those that are issue currently.
But Doug kept saying he was against any use of eminent domain to transfer property to other private groups, which is exactly what all these state laws are trying to enforce. So if Doug is against all these state laws, then we have full agreement in condemning all bad uses of eminent domain and legally protecting its potential use for good uses.
And we probably share a preference for chocolate in proper portion sizes.
Nathan Newman