The cyclical debate caused by silly zoning laws only shows how foolish people behave when they are given the power to use force against another person. The relatively peaceful market processes that account for human nature should be allowed to govern this matter, not premeditated zoning codes. Equally egregious is the use of eminent domain, once reserved for road construction and now used in place of black-suited thugs for stadium builders and casino owners. In a high-profile case, Donald Trump attempted to use eminent domain to level a private residence for a limousine parking lot, but was rebuked by a state judge in New Jersey. As I wrote in August of 1997, St. Louis nearly demolished a historic office building for a new city jail.
Government is a negative influence no matter at what size it is found.
The Federal government's embarrassing centralization makes it a very potent force in this country. However, the local governments are of a more covert danger to this country, for they are close to the people who should be concerned for their own rights. As the observer can see from studying local government, all government is the brute force that destroys freedom. Power sometimes is best when it is closer to the people, but an astute finding is that it is far better when it does not exist in any capacity. Copyright 1998 Michael R. Allen.