On Townhall today Jacob Sullum fisks Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson's defense of using eminent domain on economic development grounds:

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson wants to dispel "inaccuracies and stereotypes" about the use of eminent domain for economic development, a practice the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in last year's notorious Kelo v. New London decision. Last fall Peterson told a Senate subcommittee that when the government threatens to condemn people's property because it thinks someone else can make better use of it, "a majority of the time, most people agree to sell."

"Cities use eminent domain most often as a negotiating tool with property owners," explained Peterson, who was speaking for the National League of Cities. "Just having the tool available makes it possible to negotiate with landowners." Sure it does -- in the same way just having a gun available makes it possible for a bank robber to negotiate with a teller.

Hmmm... did you catch that? "Peterson, who was speaking for the National League of Cities." I wonder if the good people of Indianapolis helped pay for that trip, or at least the Mayor's time off to head to Washington, D.C.? AFP's very own Peggy Venable has led the charge in opposing governments’ use of tax dollars to join organizations that engage in lobbying activities. In fact, under pressure from AFP and others, in January the Houston City Council (well, at least eight members) decided against using tax dollars to pay nearly $70,000 in dues to the Texas Municipal League (TML), which has actively opposed taxpayer protection measures.

Tax dollars should not be used to fund lobbying activities, especially when those tax dollars are used to lobby for more tax dollars or against taxpayers' rights.