Texas Land

Bush and the Texas Land Grab Bush and the Texas Land Grab July 16, 2002 By Nicholas D. Kristof Editorial Op-Ed To submit a Letter to the Editor: letters@nytimes.com Democrats and media hounds are baying under the wrong tree. The point in President Bush's business career where he took outrageous shortcuts was not at Harken Energy, but rather when he was grabbing land for a new baseball stadium in Arlington for his Texas Rangers baseball team. Mr. Bush broke no laws. Neither do the overwhelming majority of corporate executives. The cloud over the business world comes not so much from lawbreaking as from avaricious bruising of the public interest. The challenge is not catching criminals but injecting public scrutiny into a culture of cronyism in which executives, accountants, regulators and "independent" board members all ooze empathy for each other. When Asia had its economic crisis in 1997-98, Americans properly trashed its "crony capitalism." But we suffer from the same affliction ourselves, and President Bush will not address the issue seriously because cronyism has been his way of life -- the Bushes call it loyalty. I have a stack of court documents from Arlington that portray the "sordid and shocking tale" of the Rangers stadium, as one lawsuit puts it. Essentially, Mr. Bush and the owners' group he led bullied and misled the city into raising taxes to build a $200 million stadium that in effect would be handed over to the Rangers. As part of the deal, the city would even confiscate land from private owners so that the Rangers owners could engage in real estate speculation. "It was a $200 million transfer to Bush and Rangers owners," complains Jim Runzheimer, an anti-tax campaigner in Arlington. William Eastland, a leading Republican in Arlington, is also outraged, and puts it this way: "You're using public money for a private purpose." Mr. Eastland was a Bush delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2000 but still believes that the Bush group behaved shadily and against the public interest. Local voters overwhelmingly approved the deal, so maybe we shouldn't get so exercised by star-struck local officials giving $200 million to rich baseball owners. But the most unseemly part of the deal was that Mr. Bush and the Rangers' owners conspired with city officials to seize private property that would be handed over to the Bush group. "A group of wealthy and influential people threatened and traded their way into an unprecedented takeover of government power and private property in an awesome display of greed and avarice," charges a lawsuit by the landowners, in what strikes me as a fair recitation of events. Another suit charges that the deal "can only be described as astounding, unprecedented and blatantly illegal." A copy of the secret agreement among Mr. Bush and the other Rangers owners shows that they intended to make money not just by running a baseball club but also by land speculation. For example, one owner found a nice chunk of land and sent a memo suggesting that it "sounds like another condemnation candidate if you want to work the site into your master plan," according to the court documents. Another of the owners' internal memos casts a proprietary gaze on a property and declares: "We plan to condemn this land." For a group of financiers to go around town admiring properties and deciding which to seize through the government power of condemnation so that they can acquire free land and speculate on it is appalling. Even Kazakhstan would blush at such practices. Horace Kelton, for example, owned land that the Rangers wanted. The owners got Arlington to seize it, with the city paying less than $1.50 per square foot even though it had previously paid $10 a square foot for other land nearby. "It was an extremely low price, and that's why we had a court case that lasted seven years," Mr. Kelton recalled. Eventually, his family got $11 a square foot. In fairness, Mr. Bush was simply being a hard-nosed businessman. He did a great job leading the owners' group, and it's hard to take seriously the caricature of him as unintelligent when he led the Rangers so lucratively. Indeed, his $14 million profit on the Rangers financed his entry into politics. But it's also a sordid tale of cronyism, of misuse of power, of cozy backroom money-grubbing -- a more pressing threat to American business than outright criminality. LINK to source

Purchase Property

Real Estate One Detroit, Ann Arbor, Northern Michigan, Michigan Real Estate - Home 1st to Know Property Search Search By Map Open House Search Find an Agent Our Locations Preparing to Sell Get Pre-approved Relocation Assistance Quick Find Street name or listing number Featured Homes 2150 Strader Dr, West Bloomfield Township 3220 Lakeland Ct, White Lake View All Featured Listings Be the 1st To Know A complimentary service for home buyers and the most efficient way to search Michigan homes for sale. Register to receive automatic email alerts as properties that meet your specifications become available for sale. Click here . Search Michigan Real Estate Listings From Traverse City to Lansing to Detroit. We dominate the real estate market in Southeast Michigan including, but not limited to, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties. Via this property search link you can view homes in Ann Arbor, Plymouth, Birmingham, Clarkston, Grosse Pointe, Downriver, Monroe, and many, many more: Metro Detroit Real Estate, Southeastern Michigan We also heavily cover Northern and Central Michigan in areas such as Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, Higgins and Houghton Lake, Lansing, and many more. Please visit one of the real estate links below for access to homes throughout Central and Northern Michigan: Traverse City Real Estate, Northwest Michigan Other Michigan Real Estate Listings Not familiar with an area of Michigan? Search by Map Find a Michigan Real Estate Agent Find over 1800 leading real estate professionals in Michigan. If you have worked with us before, look up your Real Estate One, Max Broock or Johnstone & Johnstone agent. If not, we'll help find the right professional for you. Click here . 2005 Real Estate One. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Contact Us

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National Association of Home Builders Advanced Search This site is designed for those interested in home building and the industry - it contains vast resources for both members and consumers alike. Learn more about home building - do a search, buy a publication, or simply browse the site. Members, log in now ! 12/29/2005 New Lead Paint Rule Not A Fix, NAHB Says 12/21/2005 Nation's Strong Housing Market Seen 'Simmering Down' In 2006 12/20/2005 Revised - New Call-In Number For News Teleconference: Main Street vs Wall Street 12/20/2005 Housing Market Strengthens in November MORE NEWS The Annual Meeting of Members of the National Association of Home Builders will take place on Thurs., Jan. 12, 2006 in the Valencia A-C Rooms, Level 4 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, for the purpose of electing Directors and State Representatives, and other matters as may come before the meeting.  Visit the Convention section to register , review meeting materials , and read the resolutions which have been submitted .  www.nahb.org provides extensive housing industry information for both the public and members. From our general home building and remodeling information in For Consumers to our detailed economic and housing data , there's something for everyone. Members, log in now to gain access to the resources that are available exclusively for you. MORE FEATURES Just Released! Purchase your copy of the newly updated and revised 2nd edition of Estimating Home Construction Costs . Custom builder Jerry Householder shows you how to bring your houses in under budget and make your construction process more efficient. Available at BuilderBooks.com. Order today ! Class of 2006 IRM Commencement Breakfast Orlando, FL | Jan. 11 International Builders' Show Orlando, FL | Jan. 11-14 Green Building Conference Albuquerque, NM | March 13-14 Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Conference & Awards Scottsdale, AZ | April 2-5, 2006 MORE © 2005 Home Contact Us Site Map Privacy Statement Terms of Use Link to Us Search

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DURANGO REAL ESTATE - REALTY IN SOUTHWEST COLORADO - MOUNTAIN, RANCH, COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY IN FOUR CORNERS AREA OF CO - DON RICEDORFF Residential Listings Multifamily Listings Commercial Listings Land Listings Farm / Ranch Listings Virtual Tours Search Listings Toll Free: 800-955-0259 | Office: 970-259-6680 | E-mail: info@durangorealproperty.com Real Estate In Durango Colorado Putting You First Is Our Promise. Buying or selling a home can be a stressful, time-consuming process. You need an experienced real estate agent whose primary goal is your satisfaction; a dedicated, reliable expert to assist you with all of the details associated with your transaction. Durango Colorado Real Estate is my full time business. Raised in Southwest Colorado, I have a complete knowledge of Durango, Bayfield, Hesperus, Ignacio & Hermosa residential, vacant land, ranches and commercial properties. We have access to all the listings offered in the Durango M.L.S. (Multiple Listing Service). My corporate background coupled with my real estate experience combines to give you the highest professional service. Let Durango Real Property and the Don Ricedorff real estate team help you buy or sell your Colorado home, land or business! Experience Does Make a Difference Wells Group Sales Volume Leader for 1996-2004 Top 2% in Volume, La Plata County Realtors Salesperson of the year from 1996-2004 Education - B.A. Fort Lewis College No other real estate broker has received as many national real estate designations! Realtor, Broker, G.R.I, C.R.S., C.R.B., C.C.I.M. & A.B.R. Featured PropertY Gorgeous Animas Valley location Horse Property Pond & Irrigation Beautiful 5580 sqft home 3.79 acres See More Information and Photos Visitors currently online: 7 Residential Listings | Multifamily Listings | Commercial Listings | Land Listings | Virtual Tours | Search Listings | About Us Durango Information | Durango Weather | Contact Us | Home Page Site Development ©2001-2004 Electric Sage Designs Contact the Webmaster Additional Sites of Interest P7 MenuMagic dwt Control Layer -Do Not Alter