The Kelo Paradox - Coming to Vegas...

OK, so I've got most of a post on the Eurpoean Union drafted, but I want to tweak it a bit. Unfortunately, I'm off to Vegas tomorrow for the Reason Public Policy Institute's Dynamic Cities Conference (ok, not so unfortunately... I love Vegas). I'm sitting on the Kelo panel, to give my speech, "The Kelo Paradox". I may post the EU thing tomorrow.

Here's the program for the conference: http://www.reason.org/vegas/

Confirmed speakers to date.
Drew Carey, Host of Drew Carey's Green Screen Show on Comedy Central. (Reason interview)
Christopher Hitchens, journalist (Reason interview)
Joel Kotkin, author of The City
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., President, American Gaming Association
William Eadington, Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming
Todd Seavey, Director of Publications, American Council on Science and Health
Ben Powell, Assistant Professor of Economics, San Jose State University
Logan Darrow Clements, CEO, Freestar Media, Lost Liberty Hotel project
RiShawn Biddle, Editorial Writer, Indianapolis Star
Steve Sebelius, Editor, Las Vegas City Life
Andrew Langer, Manager, Regulatory Policy, National Federation of Independent Business
Vin Suprynowicz, author and columnist, Las Vegas Review Journal
Marc Cooper, author, The Last Honest Place in America: Paradise and Perdition in the New Las Vegas
William H. Mellor, President and General Counsel, Institute for Justice
Frank Luntz, CEO, Luntz Maslansky Strategic Research
Zack Lynch, Managing Director, NeuroInsights
Matt Ladner, Director of State Projects, Alliance for School Choice
Burt Rutan, founder of Scaled Composites and winner of the Ansari X Prize for the first privately funded spacecraft
David Nott, President, Reason Foundation
Nick Gillespie, Editor-in-Chief, Reason
Adrian Moore, Vice President of Research, Reason Foundation
Bob Poole, Founder, Reason Foundation
Jacob Sullum, Syndicated columnist and Senior Editor, Reason
Sam Staley, Director of Urban and Land Use Policy, Reason Foundation
Tim Cavanaugh, Web Editor, Reason
Matt Welch, Associate Editor, Reason
Ted Balaker, Jacobs Fellow, Reason Foundation
Lisa Snell, Director of Education and Child Welfare, Reason Foundation
Geoff Segal, Director of Government Reform, Reason

Saturday, November 5

7:45 A.M.–5:00 P.M. Grand Ballroom C/D/E, The Mirage


7:45 A.M.
Welcome


7:50-8:30 A.M.
“Misguided Megaprojects: Drawing lessons from downtown revitalization efforts, sports stadiums, and convention centers”

Sam Staley, Director of Urban and Land Use Policy, Reason Foundation
Matt Welch, Associate Editor, Reason
Moderator: Adrian Moore, Vice President of Research, Reason Foundation

Many city planners have built new downtown shopping districts, massive convention centers, and sports stadiums. Do these projects benefit residents? Or do developers, team owners, and the planning establishment have the most to gain? Is Las Vegas unique when it comes to convention center success?


8:35-9:10 A.M.
“Command and Control: What happens when urban planners and meddlers ignore what people want and stifle innovation?”

Benjamin Powell, Assistant Professor of Economics, San Jose State University
Geoffrey Segal, Director of Privatization and Government Reform, Reason Foundation
Ted Balaker, Jacobs Fellow, Reason Foundation
Moderator: Nick Gillespie, Editor-in-Chief, Reason

From banning Wal-Mart to offering tax incentives for “desirable” businesses to mandating affordable housing, policymakers often think they know what’s best for residents. Do inclusionary zoning, Smart Growth, Enterprise Zones, and other such gimmicks work? Also, what happens when a city—like Sandy Springs, Georgia—decides to privatize most of its services?


9:10-9:25 A.M. BREAK


9:25-10:10 A.M.
“What Americans really think about government, and why we should be
afraid”

Dr. Frank Luntz, CEO, Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research

Do Americans care about limited government? What do they tell politicians to promise and to do in return for votes? A renowned public opinion research expert tells us what America thinks.


10:10-10:25 A.M. BREAK


10:25-11:10 A.M.
“The Evolution and Economics of Gaming in Las Vegas…and throughout America”

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., President and CEO, American Gaming Association
Bill Eadington, Professor of Economics and Gaming, University of Nevada, Reno
Moderator: Nick Gillespie, Editor-in-Chief, Reason

Public attitudes toward gambling are changing. How are local and state governments reacting? What makes Las Vegas unique as a gaming destination?


11:15-11:55 A.M.
“Trains, Buses, and Automobiles: Are governments offering transit to accommodate people’s choices or control them?”

Robert W. Poole Jr., Director of Transportation Studies and Founder, Reason Foundation
Adrian Moore, Vice President of Research, Reason Foundation
Ted Balaker, Jacobs Fellow, Reason Foundation
Moderator: Sam Staley, Director of Urban and Land Use Policy, Reason Foundation

Traffic congestion is a huge problem for urban dwellers. But many governments are planning for congestion, not to relieve it, and past attempts to solve the problem, like new light rail lines, have failed. How can mobility be improved through innovations like HOT lanes, virtual busways, and toll truckways?


12:00–1:15 P.M. Lunch Bermuda, The Mirage
“The City: The evolution of cities and meaning of urban life”

Joel Kotkin, Irvine Senior Fellow, New America Foundation

From ancient Mesopotamia to post-9/11 New York City and post-Katrina New Orleans, we will look at commerce, security and power in the city and the “sacredness” of urban space. Joel Kotkin is an internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and social trends, and the author of The City: A Global History.


1:15-2:10 P.M. Grand Ballroom C/D/E, The Mirage
“Kelo Backlash: Public and political reaction to a devastating Supreme Court decision on property rights”

Sam Staley, Director of Urban and Land Use Policy, Reason Foundation
Logan Darrow Clements, Freestar Media--Lost Liberty Hotel Project
Andrew Langer, Regulatory Affairs Manager, National Federation of Independent Business
Chip Mellor, President and General Counsel, Institute for Justice
Moderator: Adrian Moore, Vice President of Research, Reason Foundation

The Supreme Court’s broad interpretation of the government’s power of eminent domain has shocked people across the political spectrum. Our panelists will look at the landmark Kelo case, post-Kelo efforts to rein in government power, how eminent domain abusers undermine their own policy objectives, and the latest developments in a plan to seize a Supreme Court justice’s home to build a hotel.


2:15-3:00 P.M.
“Who’s Winning the War on Pleasure? The crackdown on drinking, food, smoking, entertainment, and sex”

Todd Seavey, Director of Publications, American Council on Science and Health
Steve Sebelius, Editor, Las Vegas City Life
Moderator: Jacob Sullum, Senior Editor, Reason

The battle has been joined against the pleasures of sex, tobacco, alcohol, and junk
food. On which side does science fight? Is Las Vegas succumbing to this war? What are your prospects for enjoying life in the nanny state?


3:15-3:55 P.M
“What can Las Vegas teach liberals and conservatives who fear and loathe it?”

Vin Suprynowicz, columnist, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Marc Cooper, Senior Fellow, USC Annenberg School
Tim Cavanaugh, Web Editor, Reason
Moderator: Ted Balaker, Jacobs Fellow, Reason Foundation

How free is Sin City? Is life in Las Vegas good for business, good for consumers, good for workers, good for families?


4:00-4:30 P.M.
“Prague’s Dazzling Diversity: How Europe’s urban jewel is threatened most by its ‘protectors.’”

Matt Welch, Associate Editor, Reason

Over the centuries, Prague has absorbed and reflected cultural changes. There is a movement afoot to put a stop to that. Matt Welch co-founded the first independent English-language newspaper in post-communist Central Europe, Prognosis, in Prague, Czechoslovakia.



4:40-5:00 P.M.
“Dancing on the Edge: Extreme art, its popular appeal, and freedom”

John Stagliano, director, writer, and producer

The popularity of TV shows like “Fear Factor” exemplifies how mainstream entertainment has been inevitably drawn to the real and the extreme. This is an extension of the trend that John Stagliano pioneered in the adult film business. Why is there such a large market for reality and the extreme? Why is liberty an important part of the mix?