Registered voters can sign the eminent domain petition at the Farm Bureau office on Broad Street in Columbia.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The government’s ability to take away private property from landowners would be greatly weakened if the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is successful in reforming the state’s eminent domain laws.

Farm Bureau is currently circulating petitions statewide to obtain signatures of 90,000 registered voters to put the eminent domain issue on the ballot in November 2011. Currently in Mississippi, the government can take a landowner’s property for private development or business, and Farm Bureau believes that is a violation of Constitutional rights.

If the ballot measure passes, the government could only take private property for public uses such as roads, bridges and utilities, not private development. Those who want to sign the petition can do so at their local county Farm Bureau office, which is on Broad Street in Columbia.

Farm Bureau, a non-profit organization that represents farmers and landowners, has 207,000 family memberships statewide.

The government should not be allowed to “confiscate” landowners’ property and turn it over to a private developer to make a profit, said Doug Ervin, land program coordinator for the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. A landowner should not be at risk of losing his property because a wealthy person wants to build something, Ervin added. When the Nissan plant was built in Canton, eminent domain was used to take away mineral rights, said Ervin.

In the landmark Kelo vs. New London (Conn.) decision, the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 upheld that the government could take away private property for economic development. The logic behind the controversial decision was that economic development benefits the public as a whole by increasing the tax base. The Kelo decision expanded the definition of “public use” and set off protests around the country, said Ervin. Since then, 43 states have enacted eminent domain reform to “prevent such a confiscation for private use,” said Ervin.

Last year, the Mississippi Legislature was close to passing eminent domain reform that would prohibit the taking of landowners’ property for private development. The House and Senate voted in favor of the legislation, but Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed the bill, saying such a law could hurt the state’s ability to attract business. The House overrode the governor’s veto, but the Senate did not have enough votes to override.

Ervin thinks the vast majority of state’s residents oppose government taking property for private gain. In fact, Ervin said a survey was done that shows 75-90 percent of voters oppose such an “abusive” use of eminent domain.

Farm Bureau has been working with the State Legislature the past four years trying to bring about eminent domain reform to no avail, so now it is time to take the matter to the people to vote on, said Ervin. Already there have been approximately 30,000 signatures out of the 90,000 needed to get the measure on the ballot, he said. The deadline to obtain the signatures is in October, but Ervin said Farm Bureau’s goal is to have them by Aug. 1.

U.S. House of Representatives candidate Steven Palazzo addresses the Marion County Republican Women.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

 South Mississippi needs a congressman who upholds true conservative values, U.S. House of Representatives candidate Steven Palazzo told the Marion County Republican Women on Tuesday night.

Palazzo, a state representative in the Mississippi Legislature for the past four years, is running for the 4^th Congressional District seat currently held by Democrat Gene Taylor of Bay St. Louis, who has been in office for 20 years.

Palazzo addressed a crowd of about 45 Republican Women and a few men at the event, which took place at Columbia Alderwoman Cheryl Bourne’s home.

As a member of Congress, Palazzo said his first order of business would be to cast a vote for a “commonsense conservative” to be speaker of the House. By repeatedly voting for Nancy Pelosi to be the speaker of the House, Taylor has shown that he is not in line with the values of Mississippians, Palazzo asserted.

If Republicans fail to stand up for what they believe in, Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will continue “cramming their liberal agenda down our necks,” Palazzo, a small business owner from Biloxi, warned.

“America is at a crossroads, and we can stand up and have our voice heard or roll over and let the federal government take over our lives,” Palazzo said.

“Obamacare” is an effort to make people dependant upon the government, he noted. “That’s what they (government) want,” Palazzo said.

Marion County Republican Women First Vice President Donna Rackley holds up one of the organization's T-shirts.

He quoted Alamo commander William Bruce Travis, who said, “Neither retreat nor surrender to those who want to take away our freedoms.”

In other matters, Palazzo said his CPA background would be beneficial in Washington when it comes to dealing with the federal budget.

Palazzo is a former member of the Marine Corps Reserves who served in the Persian Gulf, and he said he can relate to the Marion County troops who recently came back from Iraq.

“Make sure you don’t forget about them (troops),” said Palazzo, who currently serves in the National Guard.

Palazzo is a staunch supporter of the right to bear arms, adding that he favored reducing the restrictions on carrying concealed weapons.

He also authored a resolution in the Mississippi House reaffirming the 10^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gives power to the states. “The federal government has robbed us of our sovereignty,” said Palazzo.

Palazzo is optimistic about the future of Republicans in the United States. “With everything that has happened in ‘Obamacare,’ I think we’re going to see a revitalization of conservatism,” he said.

Marion County Republican Women President Dawn Carter speaks to the group.

Prior to Palazzo speaking to the group, Marion County District Attorney Hal Kittrell addressed the Republican Women and said he is concerned the health care bill could hurt small businesses and result in increased premiums.  The bill will cost $940 billion over 10 years and does not represent the will of the people, Kittrell said.

Republicans value a strong defense, limited government, free market, sanctity of life and unity of family, he noted, adding, “We’re just good God fearing people.”

The Marion County Republican Women is a “group to be feared and awed,” Kittrell said, adding that they helped him get into office. “This is truly a grassroots group. Ya’ll carried me over the top.”