Joe,
I always enjoy arguments in which both parties agree on every substantive point.
You are correct in your assessment of government growth. I do not endorse that growth. I simply comment on the trend.
Governments grow. They don’t have to grow. They shouldn’t necessarily grow. We’d all be better off if they contracted instead.
You know better than I do that governments grow. I hope your work and the work of like-minded scholars and elected leaders can reverse the trend.
Meanwhile, the disputed point in my Kelo blog was that a growing government is always looking for ways to raise more money. If the government can raise more money without angering its taxpayers, it will choose that option.
That’s why Kelo is so dangerous; it opens the door for local government leaders who say, “We sure could raise a lot more property tax revenue if we turned this old, run-down neighborhood into a fancy new development.”
The government boosts its property-tax base. Most taxpayers see little change, other than a fancy new development. Poorer families with few political connections lose their properties. And the principle of private property rights takes another hit.
Thanks for your argument. I hope this note offers sufficient clarification of my thoughts on the matter.
