There sure are a lot of calls for impeachment of public servants these days. The latest one is by George Mason University economics professor and columnist Walter E. Williams, and the targets are the Kelo 5, those Supreme Court justices who decided it was OK for government to legally steal your property for any reason, as long as it benefits the “community.”
This kind of government tyranny should be disavowed by every decent American. Stepping up to the plate is Branch Banking and Trust Company, headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C. BB&T is a full-service bank with 1,100 offices throughout the Southeast. On Jan. 25, BB&T announced that it will not lend to commercial developers that plan to build condominiums, shopping malls and other private projects on land taken from private citizens by government entities using eminent domain.
On behalf of its board of directors, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Allison explained, “The idea that a citizen’s property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided, in fact, it’s just plain wrong.” Mr. Allison added, “One of the most basic rights of every citizen is to keep what they own. As an institution dedicated to helping our clients achieve economic success and financial security, we won’t help any entity or company that would undermine that mission and threaten the hard-earned American dream of property ownership.”
Read his editorial discussing the backlash against this decision and his call for Congress to impeach those responsible. Only one Supreme Court Justice has ever been impeached, and the effort failed. All I can say – we live in interesting times.