November 2008 – Freedom Advocates

Local Government’s Permit Policies Cost Taxpayers

November 19, 2008 Ronald A. Zumbrun Comments Off

By Ronald A. Zumbrun, 11/19/2008 – It is seldom that we find a community so devastated by a lawsuit that it faces bankruptcy. It is even more unusual to see the exposure potentially repeat itself in a similarly explosive lawsuit. Unfortunately, this seems to be the case in San Mateo County.

In January, I published a Viewpoint article about the case of Joyce Yamagiwa, Trustee v. City of Half Moon Bay. The City of Half Moon Bay had prohibited development on a 24-acre parcel because the parcel was determined to constitute wetlands. The California Coastal Act prohibits residential development on wetlands. However, the California and United States Constitutions mandate the payment of just compensation for the taking or damaging of private property for public use.

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Restoring the Heart of America: American Crisis Newsletter Part 1

November 7, 2008 Clyde Cleveland Comments Off

By Clyde Cleveland, 11/7/2008 – At the end of 1776 Thomas Paine wrote a series of articles entitled "American Crisis." This series played a critical role in saving the Revolutionary war against the British. Most of the British officers returned home for the winter thinking that the war was over. It was a very bleak time for the colonial army after their humiliating loss in New York. Most of the troops went home for the winter, and those that stayed were freezing and starving. Many defected to the British.

Paine’s first letter in the American Crisis series shifted the public awareness, and troops enlisted and people donated essential materials. Paine’s articles made a major impact.

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