Stop the taking. Blue Collars Boycotting is Apple Pie. Come on Penobscot McCrum workers, bring on the pie. I'll take a piece of that. Email me- laurieallen55@msn.com. There is no doubt that this taking will be the beginning of the end.
http://waldo.villagesoup.com/p/eminent-domain-is-bad-no-matter-who-employs-it/1541269
Oh, that terrible Donald Trump. Those in opposition to the flamboyant, presumptive GOP presidential nominee often cite Trump’s taking by eminent domain of a private property in New York to accommodate traffic for one of his new buildings. Democrats and liberals have made it plain that they in no way approve of the use of eminent domain. I’ve got news for those folks. Republicans and conservatives don’t like eminent domain either. We’re just not as vocal in our denunciations.
And may I suggest that some of those same people who verbally flay Trump over eminent domain appear not to mind the practice at all when it comes to their own local wants and needs. Specifically, I’m talking about the city of Belfast, invoking eminent domain to link two sections of a new walking trail.
Unfortunately, the land the city wants and will take (steal) by force if necessary, sits in front of the Penobscot McCrum potato processing plant. According to Jay McCrum, the land in question is very near the company’s ammonia tanks, a clear danger to walkers. But the Belfast people want this land so badly that they appear willing to exchange safety for convenience.
On the face of it, this seems pretty cut-and-dried. But as with most controversies, there’s more to this story. Let’s look at some historical events.
Industry evil
It began some time ago, when visitors complained that the effluent from the city’s two poultry processing plants (McCrum’s place was once Maplewood Poultry) was making the shiny hulls of their sailboats all sticky and yucky. Those of us who used the harbor and kept fishing boats there had no complaints. But a new personality was seeping into the Belfast consciousness, a personality that wanted to see the city made “clean” again.
Well, they got their way. The poultry industry was vilified and demonized, not to mention taxed and fined, to the point where the owners were forced to shutter their doors. Never mind the hundreds of blue-collar workers who worked for the poultry industry. This included not only workers inside the plants, but also truckers, raisers, salesmen and a host of others. It was big business and it was good for the local economy.
So with the poultry industry now kaput, the civic-minded people of Belfast turned their sights to the remaining industries. Belfast once had two shoe factories. Both had no choice but to go out of business, leaving more of those dirty, sweaty blue-collar workers out in the cold.
One of the last to go was Stinson Canning, or, as older Belfast residents termed it, “The Sardine.” Yes, some tiny bits of fish were vented into the harbor, a terrible situation (no, not really…it didn’t hurt a thing). On the other hand, because of this, Belfast had some of the best saltwater fishing on the Maine coast. People from miles away came here to take advantage of the sporting opportunities. But the die was cast and Stinson is no more. And, again, the people who worked in the sardine industry suddenly found themselves looking for work elsewhere. Many moved away from Belfast to find employment. That didn’t seem to bother the city fathers at all.
The above-mentioned industries were not forced out all at once, but by means of constant nit-picking. The end results were always the same. Industry was bad, in fact evil, and Belfast no longer wanted it. I’m talking specifically about agricultural and natural resource-based industry. Belfast welcomes new industries, as long as they are chic and don’t offend the sensibilities of the new gentry.
So who, after looking at what has happened in the past, can doubt that the writing is on the wall regarding the city’s one remaining agriculture-based industry? Once the collective liberal mind sets its sights on any such industry, that industry is ultimately doomed. So mark my words. Eventually, Penobscot McCrum will follow the long line of demonized industries and shut its doors forever.
The city will probably gain all of the Penobscot McCrum land, not just the narrow strip needed to complete its trail. Perhaps it can be made into a nice park, or some other badly (not) needed attraction.
And what of the people who will lose their livelihoods with the passing of the potato factory? Well, I can safely say that Belfast will shed few tears over the demise of the factory and those stinky, Republican-voting blue-collar workers.
Finally, I know, without a doubt, that my opinion will irritate some people. But it’s not just opinion. It’s fact. Try to make facts go away and they, the pernicious little rascals, just keep on trucking. Nasty things, facts are.
