US's Worst Corporate Giveaway Ruled Unconstitutional

[Andrew49]

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled PA Act 13 unconstitutional. The bill would have stripped away local zoning laws, eliminated the legal concept of a Home Rule Charter, limited private property rights, and in the process, completely disempowered town, city, municipal and county governments, particularly when it comes to shale gas development. LINK

ACT 13 ... violates substantive due process because it does not protect the interests of neighboring property owners from harm, alters the character of neighborhoods and makes irrational classifications – irrational because it requires municipalities to allow all zones, drilling operations and impoundments, gas compressor stations, storage and use of explosives in all zoning districts, and applies industrial criteria to restrictions on height of structures, screening and fencing, lighting and noise.

How on earth do laws like this get passed with only a little murmur? A clue is:

Pennsylvania is the epicenter of the ongoing fracking boom in the United States, and by and large, is a state seemingly bought off by the oil and gas industry.

[toxic avenger]

This is what happens when the moral equivalent of the Ferengi are given so much power in a country.

[Count Bobulescu]

The group behind this campaign the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is super secretive and has been at this for at least thirty years. It is funded by the Koch brothers and others. A number of their major corporate donors have decided not to renew their membership because of negative publicity about it’s involvement in voter suppression laws.

Voter identification laws
On December 8, 2011, the advocacy group Color of Change announced a call to boycott ALEC corporate members for their alleged support of voter ID laws.[42] On April 4, 2012, after the Trayvon Martin shooting, Color of Change changed the boycott to focus on The Coca-Cola Company for its support of ALEC and by implication, their involvement in Stand your Ground.[43] Within hours, Coca-Cola announced it was ending its relationship with ALEC in apparent response to the threatened boycott. Over the subsequent two weeks approximately a dozen corporations or foundations including the restaurant chain Wendy's, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the medical insurance group Blue Cross and Blue Shield had dropped support of ALEC. [44][45][46][47][48][49][50] ALEC responded with a "Statement by ALEC on the Coordinated Intimidation Campaign Against Its Members".[51] By May 31, the list of corporations that had withdrawn support included Apple, Procter & Gamble and Wal-mart.[52]

On April 17, 2012, ALEC announced that it was disbanding its Public Safety and Elections Task Force, which provided model bills for voter ID requirements and “stand your ground” gun laws.[53] On April 18, the National Center for Public Policy Research announced the creation of a voter ID task force to replace the one discontinued by ALEC.[54][55] The Martin shooting and subsequent boycott was described as a catalyst for ALEC to shift focus from social issues to economic ones.[56][

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...change_Council