Reason's "Bailouts & Bull" Viewing Party: Highlights from our March 13 discussion of eminent domain abuse, drug policy, immigration, and more.

On Friday, March 13, Reason hosted a viewing party before the Reason.tv-inspired 20/20 special "Bailouts and Bull." To watch the show in its entirety, go here.

From our Washington, D.C. HQ and in front of an audience of 300 people, Reason.tv Editor in Chief Nick Gillespie hosted a fast-paced discussion of the issues featured in "Bailouts and Bull" with the following guests:

* Dana Berliner, Institute for Justice, on eminent domain abuse

* Rob Kampia, Marijuana Policy Project, on drug policy

* Veronique de Rugy, Mercatus Center, on bailouts and stimulus spending

* Dan Lips, Heritage Foundation, on universal preschool

* Shikha Dalmia, Reason Foundation, on immigration policy

* Shirley Ybarra, Reason Foundation, on traffic congestion and transportation

Reason would like to thank Marijuana Policy Project, the Institute for Justice, Mercatus, The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Golden Door Foundation, and the Lagunitas Brewing Company for their generous help in underwriting this event.

Click above to watch highlights from the event (approximately 2.30 minutes; shot by Dan Hayes and edited by Meredith Bragg).

Go here for embed code, downloadable versions, and more videos.

Comments

[Orange Line Special]

Before viewing this, I want to make sure: these are just the highlights, right?

[Ron Paris]

My god; two minutes of highlights and the total broadcast time was what, three hours? No wonder I was bored stiff after 20 minutes! Reason can do better than this!

[Jack Savage]

Wow, looks like a MAJOR meeting of the minds!

RT
http://www.online-privacy.pro.tc

[MikeB]

Speaking as someone actually fighting eminent domain in federal court with Houston-based Spectra Energy, I can confirm that it amounts to legal plunder under the badge of government.

Ultimately, power corrupts; and the power of eminent domain in the hands of government - which is transferred to a business - creates a sense of entitlement; and it creates an atmosphere ripe for abuse.

As you know, nowadays, eminent domain has less to do with projects for the "public good," and everything to do with the financial good of publicly held companies.

In Bedford County, Pennsylvania (about 2 hours from Washington), property owners are being hauled into federal court by Spectra Energy, backed by the power of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The "public good" argument is that this is an underground natural gas storage site (bring gas from somewhere else for a fee, store it for a fee, then send it to the northeast via pipelines and charge another fee).

What goes missing is that the landowners' property is sitting on top of the gas-rich Marcellus Shale; but they can't develop that because Spectra Energy wants to use the Oriskany sands layer (which lies just beneath the Marcellus) for its underground gas storage facility.

This site is said to be "critical," but Pennsylvania has more underground natural gas storage sites than any other state in the continental US, according to the Dept. of Energy.

Further, in its most recent motion, Spectra Energy asked that the federal judge exclude evidence that would argue "economic loss to the landowner" for fear that the jury would be "confused, misled and distracted ? waste time." (From p. 7 of the motion: Case 3:08-cv-00154-KRG, Document 59).

Here is the great conundrum in eminent domain: property owners possess the key asset that companies and government covet - the land. But they are treated as obstacles in this process rather than as key stakeholders.

For info & a landowner video:
http://www.spectraenergywatch.com/blog/

[TallDave]

Is that the same MPP from the 1990s?

I used to get their monthly email newsletter in college.

[TallDave]

Raivo Pommer
[e-mail]

SCHWEIZGELD

Deutsche haben angeblich Verm?gen von 400 bis 500 Milliarden Euro im Ausland angelegt, davon 170 Milliarden in der Schweiz. Das meiste d?rfte dort schon seit Jahrzehnten liegen und ist ein- oder mehrmals vererbt worden. Dies ist nichts Ungesetzliches, die Freiheit des Kapitalverkehrs gestattet die Geldanlage ?berall auf der Welt. Wer seine Steuererkl?rung entsprechend ausf?llt, hat nichts zu bef?rchten. F?r die anderen hat die EU 2005 die Zinsbesteuerung eingef?hrt, deren H?chstsatz von 35 Prozent Mitte 2011 greifen wird. Sie betraf die EU-Staaten, die mit Verweis auf ihr Bankgeheimnis keinen automatischen Informationsaustausch ?ber Steuerdaten wollten, also Belgien, Luxemburg und ?sterreich. Au?erhalb der EU machten nolens volens die Schweiz und Liechtenstein mit.

Als Propagandakeule genutzt
Friedlich sieht sie aus, die Berglandschaft in der Schweiz. Doch viel Unfried...

Friedlich sieht sie aus, die Berglandschaft in der Schweiz. Doch viel Unfrieden herrschte in den vergangenen Tagen zwischen den Schweizern und Bundesfinanzminister Steinbr?ck

Was als Zugest?ndnis bei der Steuereintreibung gedacht war, hat sich im Lauf weniger Jahre gegen diese Staaten gekehrt. Die Schweiz f?hrte 2007 gut 80 Millionen Euro Zinsertragsteuer an Deutschland ab. Der unerwartet niedrige Betrag dient Politikern wie Finanzminister Peer Steinbr?ck und seinem Vorg?nger Hans Eichel als Propagandakeule gegen das "Steuerversteck" Schweiz. Die Regierung in Bern hatte beim Abschluss des Zinsbesteuerungsabkommens selbst auf die vielen L?cken hingewiesen. Die Partner waren aber bereit, sie zun?chst hinzunehmen, um angesichts eigener Differenzen ?berhaupt einen Abschluss zu erreichen

[Xeones]

Hahaha, TallDave is the German spambot!

[sven]

This was the most overhyped event in the entire history of the universe.

Actually, it was a tad disappointing. Not that the other topics weren't worth exploring, but the first segment should have been the only segment. I wouldn't have minded hearing a little more from those economists that the Obama Administration said didn't exist. People needed to hear that there were alternatives.

Corporate-owned toll roads, undocumented lawn care technicians and pharmacological chronic are all well and good, but the bailouts deserved the entire hour.

[Lefiti]

Nine fucking comments! Bestiality trumps eminent domain!

[Sally O\'Boyle]

The fact that John STossel gets this stuff on MSM is absolutely fantastic. If you want to complain about something, go to http://www.congress.org, type in your zip code in the box about 1/3 of the way down the page on the right and complain to your representatives. I go there at least once a day, my reps hear from me on every topic I care about, it takes less then five minutes: short and sweet emails.

The only thing politicians care about is keeping their jobs. Tell them how you want them to vote, tell them you are watching and that you will vote with your ballot and then with your feet, that if they continue to disobey their constituents, you will work to get them replaced.

If we keep doing what we're doing, we'll keep getting what we're getting. Thank goodness John Stossel and Drew Carey care enough to get the word out.

[Henry]

sven | March 21, 2009, 6:24pm | #

"This was the most overhyped event in the entire history of the universe.

Actually, it was a tad disappointing. Not that the other topics weren't worth exploring, but the first segment should have been the only segment. I wouldn't have minded hearing a little more from those economists that the Obama Administration said didn't exist. People needed to hear that there were alternatives.

Corporate-owned toll roads, undocumented lawn care technicians and pharmacological chronic are all well and good, but the bailouts deserved the entire hour."