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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (436735)	11/25/2008 1:26:17 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1574108

Ted, > The majority doesn't always do what's right or fair. Forty years ago it was against the law in a majority of states for a white person to marry a black person. That's why we have the courts. The courts also ruled that local governments can take your property and sell it to a rich fat-cat developer via eminent domain because the developer can attract more tax revenue. And its the same exact principal at play....what's best and fair for the common good. It can be argued successfully that interracial marriage and eminent domain are both best for the common good and the culture at large. Having said that, the courts have also ruled that there can not be the wholesale use of eminent domain as was done during the 1960s to build the national freeway system where whole neighborhoods were destroyed. The courts determined that before eminent domain can be used, the municipality must show that it will truly benefit the common good. This despite the vast majority of Americans opposed to that concept. State governments all across America are passing laws to cover what the courts exposed as a major affront on property rights. But who knows if the courts will overturn those laws just because they feel like it? When you cede your power to a group of appointed officials, you end up with an oligarchy, not a democracy. Ceding your power to a group of appointed officials is a necessary part of living in a large democracy of 300 million people. However, that does not mean we are ruled by oligarchs. Typically, oligarchies rule by fiat; not by the vote.