Boone County Libertarians Team Up With Missouri Citizens For Property Rights

Columbia, MO – July 23, 2007- The Boone County Libertarian Party (BCLP) will have a booth this year at the Boone County Fair July 23rd-29th.

Libertarians manning the booth will be giving out the World's Smallest Political Quiz and helping Missouri Citizens for Property Rights gather signatures for petitions to amend the Missouri Constitution to prevent the use of eminent domain for private development.

After the 2005 US Supreme Court decision in the Kelo vs New London Development Corporation case upheld the use of eminent domain for private development, the Missouri Legislature acted quickly to pass eminent domain reform in 2006. Unfortunately the legislation passed did little to protect Missouri citizens from eminent domain abuse.

“Eminent domain when used for private development puts the home or business owner in a lose-lose situation. They either have to lose their property or spend a great deal of money fighting to keep their property in the courts. Either way their lives are completely disrupted.” said Missouri Libertarian Party Chairman Glenn Nielsen.

Glenn Nielsen added, “I commend the efforts of Ron Calzone of Missouri Citizens for Property Rights for all the hard work to get real eminent domain reform before the people of Missouri.”

According to the Castle Coalition – an organization that fights eminent domain abuses and has said that “Missouri has one of the worst records on eminent domain abuse in the country” – a recent state law fell far short of protecting the people. "The problem is that if blight can mean anything at all…(Missourians) are not much more protected today than they were before this new legislation." said Institute for Justice Senior Attorney Scott Bullock, who argued Kelo before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Glenn Nielsen, Missouri Libertarian Party Chair and Ron Calzone, Chairman of Missouri Citizens for Property Rights will be at the BCLP booth from 4PM – 9PM Tuesday July 24th.

The Boone County Libertarian Party is affiliated with the Missouri Libertarian Party, one of three established political parties in Missouri.