Amortization

Amortization for removal of legal outdoor advertising structures is extreme and unfair.

Generally, the issue of amortization is passe because the federal government and most states protect billboard property owners from this scheme (government sets an arbitrary deadline for the end of a permitted use, in lieu of compensation).

The definition of amortization is derived from the Latin word "mort," which refers to death and is the root word for mortality and mortuary. A common use of the word -- in financial transactions -- is to amortize or liquidate debt. Regarding billboards, amortization is the forced government removal of private property over time without payment of just compensation to the owner. Therefore, amortization is slow-motion taking.

Protection against government confiscation of property is a founding principle of our republic. The Founding Fathers, concerned about the King's ability to seize property in colonial America, included protection of private property rights in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution ("... nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.").

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