property

What do a wasteland full of weeds, Pfizer, and the Supreme Court have in common? The answer is the power of eminent domain. In the 2005 case of Kelo v.

Millions of Americans choose to continue smoking despite known health risks. Presumably, the value they get from smoking is (rightly or wrongly) worth the risk to them. But for a short time, it appeared that smokers had a healthy third alternative: electronic cigarettes.

President Obama has declared that "There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jumpstart the economy." Indeed, both Democrats and Republicans in the Obama and Bush Administrations have called for vast increases in government spending. Many among the public also agree with this approach: prior to the approval of the latest $787 billion economic stimulus bill, a Gallup poll taken in February observed that a slight majority of Americans were in favor of its passage.

Since August, Zimbabwe has suffered from a cholera outbreak that to date has killed 3,000 people and infected nearly 60,000 more. In the Western world, cholera outbreaks are rare thanks to the implementation of proper sanitation standards, including water purification and sewage treatment.

Ailing automaker Chrysler LLC has entered into an agreement with Italian carmaker Fiat SpA. The deal would involve an exchange of technology and access to distribution networks, giving Fiat a 35% stake in Chrysler without it having to pay a single euro.

Thirty years ago, George and Sharlee McNamee purchased a beachfront house in California, hoping to create a home in which to spend their retirement. Over the years, the McNamee’s made various improvements to their beach property, installing picnic tables for entertaining and a shade to allow Mr. McNamee protection from a repeated bout with deadly melanoma. Throughout this time, the McNamee’s have generously allowed the public visiting the state-owned portions of the beach to use the facilities on their property.

But the California Coastal Commission claims these are illegal developments.