Progress is based on making changes to improve society and the expectations of peaceful living. But, there are certain uphill battles, which must be fought, which one must choose to fight, that if not, lead to more than just a missed opportunity to influence change for the better, but actually influence conditions to become worse. Things do not stay the same; clearly, things change….

      Whether the situation is the taking of someone’s home for commercial development or any other reason, governments do not have a catch-all approval. The laws have changed to protect homeowners from being eminent domain victims.  Similarly, there are other types of property rights issues at stake that many homeowners are NOT aware of, that if allowed to be threatened and violated will affect the others. These issues and cases are not the big publicly visible media-friendly cases like eminent domain that have an immediate effect, rather the issues where the policies that never became law, but existed for so long that no one bothered to do anything about it. These are the issues that created a pattern of accepted policy for 200 years despite that there was no actual law to support it. These are the same issues at the root of why eminent domain has been a recurring problem. These are the same issues that were at the root of dissent scribed in our nation’s Amendment 14 of the Bill of Rights under The U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and The U.S. Constitution aimed at creating a society free from monarchy.  These are the same issues that are the fundamental rights at the foundation of our Constitution, which seem to elude us all - until something happens. But, then what?

KNOW YOUR LAWS.
        Know what laws are created to protect you, and what laws can hurt you. New laws were enacted to protect property owners from abuse from the State and its subdivisions, but in our case these laws were ignored. Begin by understanding that the peaceful protection of citizens and property from the State is a fundamental right under Amendment 14 of the U.S. Constitution:

"AMENDMENT XIV Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868. Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of the 14th amendment:

Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."



HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU?
        The bigger picture in all of this has to do with what governments ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED to get away with, and the fact that both the New Jersey State Supreme Court as well as the New Jersey State Legislature has recognized that municipalities enjoying immunity from following the law had to stop. New laws have been adopted for this specific purpose, by limiting government power, and as such now helps to protect property owners. But, the same laws are being ignored in favor of win-at-all-cost government entities. This affects you directly because they get away with anything until someone says no. Yet, the longer they get away with it, the harder the fight.

        Whether regarding the taking of someone’s property, fabrication of documents, secretly entering onto private property with the intention of obtaining evidence, threatening or imposing harsh fines for false [proven] violations, two municipalities conspiring to trick and force citizens into taking actions to their own detriment, or even acts of brutality, it is evident that unrestrained power can fester like a rampant infection, causing more harm and becoming more difficult to defeat later. In ALL other types of cases involving other types of parties such behavior would be deemed criminal. But, who allows this to happen? The judicial system - courts who are politically motivated with discretionary power to turn a blind eye. What you may not know is that there are NJ State laws that spell out in great detail that you cannot fight the government and win - just read Title 59 of the New Jersey State Statutes.

IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!!
        It starts at the local levels, and once they get away with it, the rest is easy to justify. Yet, the line HAS been drawn and no one seems to care; the line appears to be used only as a matter of convenience, and when used, for selective interpretation of the law to suit an agenda. Have we become so complacent in our existence to realize that our lives are being run by government agencies that step on our Constitution? Are we too complacent to know when laws are being ignored by governmental entities that abandon their civic duty to serve and protect their citizens and taxpayers? Maybe when it happens to you it WILL matter then.

        If the climate is such that government officials can use their official capacity to commit abusive acts against their own citizens as a matter of convenience or to serve some undisclosed agenda, then opposition from the wronged citizens - and ideally from other taxpaying residents as well - is essential. If no one opposes, it becomes that much easier for officials to treat others similarly or worse in the future. Citizens cannot simply rely on the ethical standards or good faith of officials who may not have any. Everyone needs to be aware, oppose early signs and take an interest in one another so that improvements can be made. If we do not, any one could be next. The reason is more that if rights and laws are violated by some officials against some citizens & some property owners, and it is not opposed (with Court support by granting favorable rulings for them, condone bad conduct, accept misrepresented evidence and flip flopping of positions, concealing material info, refusal to answer discovery questions and refusal for witnesses to be deposed, etc.), then it will happen more often, to more citizens, more taxpayers, and more property owners. No one is safe. Anyone can be next.


WHAT CAN YOU DO?
        Tell someone else about our story, send us a link, etc. Talk about it. Discuss the problems with others. Question your freeholders, senators, congressmen, etc., about what process do they follow to ensure that they are informed about legal matters before they vote to approve large contracts, such as hiring attorneys in public civil matters to take [frivolous] citizens to court on the taxpayers dime. These are things the general public should be aware of. Leave your opinion or if you have a story of your own on our COMMENTS page.