- On June 23, 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Kelo vs. New London case. That ruling says a government can steal (oops, I guess they called it "seize") private property for public use, even when it is a for-profit group building a strip mall. I guess one man's castle is another man's Costco.
- On July 1, 2006 the Colorado state government banned smoking inside restaurants and bars and all other commercial indoor properties. Colorado was the 13th state to enact such a ban, with more states to follow. Even New Hampshire, which peers out from behind the muzzle of a gun just long enough to scream its "Live Free or Die" motto has jumped on the smoking ban bandwagon.
- On August 10, 2007 the Louisiana state government banned the wearing of pants that don't fit tightly enough.
- On September 4, 2007 the Ellis County Commission (Kansas) rejected an application to build a wind farm outside of Hays, effectively denying local landowners the right to use their land to make money and creating a previously nonexistent right for residents to control their neighbors' activities.
- Louisiana (again it's Louisiana) is now considering a bill that would require restaurant owners to determine who is "obese" and refuse to serve those customers.
- And, of course, here in Michigan our State Senate (Republican controlled regrettably) last week passed a sweeping ban on smoking that includes bingo halls, bowling alleys and even casinos.
In the last few years we've seen those rights repeatedly eroded by supposedly well-intentioned governments.
Who anointed our elected representatives to play nanny? Where in the constitution does it say that our elected officials have the duty and power to run our lives and businesses?
And why do we quietly take it?
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