One answer is that the towns elected officials thought that the project served a public purpose and that the various subsidies and favors were worth the price. But they may or may not have thought this.

Of course, conservatives always claim to be against judicial activism.

The takings clause of the Fifth Amendment is for conservatives what the equal protection clause of the 14th is for liberals.

A gaffe is a politician inadvertently telling an inconvenient truth.

Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to deal with a big, complicated lie.

The solution when you don't like someone's speech is not to silence that person, or that corporation. It's more and louder speech of your own.

Anything that keeps a politician humble is healthy for democracy.