What goes around comes around.

In 2005, Burien exercised its power of eminent domain to claim land occupied by Meal Makers restaurant to accommodate Urban Partners in its development of the city's Town Square.

This regrettable move, which pushed back the limits of private property rights, could have been avoided.

The Strobel sisters, who owned that parcel, offered a reasonable alternate design for that part of Town Square. It was rejected outright.

City Hall decreed that a street should run through this location, and the eatery that served the community for 25 years closed in December.

Now, in an ironic turnabout, Burien's plans for economic development of the city's northeast area have been placed on hold.

The King County Housing Authority is seeking "legal custody" of the Lora Lake Apartments, which occupy a prime location for commercial development, to keep this housing complex open.

Two wrongs, however, do not make a right-and both King County and the housing authority are wrong in their exercise of hypocrisy and betrayal.

The housing authority's last-minute lawsuit to spare these apartments from the wrecking ball, which would clear the way for badly needed local economic development, is a glaring act of bad faith.

By abdicating its obligation under a contract for the removal of the apartments this year, the housing authority betrayed its intention never to honor that commitment.

And by supporting this move, King County Executive Director Ron Sims has told every suburban city to do as he says, not as he does.

The county's position is clear. Burien must forego economic development at this prime commercial location to keep affordable housing there-despite the fact that it is a substandard residential site.

Contrast this (something that social do-gooders have neglected to do) with what Mr. Sims did at Park Lake Homes in White Center.

He green-lighted the demolition of this World War II-era housing, which was low-income in the truest sense, and construction of the Greenbridge housing project in its place.

But Greenbridge includes condominiums that are owned by individuals, not the housing authority.

Apparently it's OK for King County to revitalize a neighborhood in White Center, but not so Burien in its Northeast Redevelopment Agency.

Burien even offered to replace the apartments that would be lost by demolishing Lora Lake with affordable housing as part of its transit-oriented development project downtown-a much better location for low-income residents.

King County, however, rejected that plan.

With the fate of Lora Lake tied up in court, Burien will be foolish not to explore its options for adjacent commercial development in the meantime.

Stay tuned....

IN HIS last column, Eric Mathison again meandered through the vagaries of liberal thought, befuddled by conservative (i.e., the "right") views on illegal immigration (a distinction he failed to make), multiculturalism, tolerance and related issues.

Eric seemed especially fixated on Bruce Thornton, a professor of classics at Fresno State University, who I quoted a few weeks back.

Far from being just a "guru on multiculturalism," Dr. Thornton is one of several academics who contributed to discussions on American culture and our role in the world during Intercollegiate Studies Institute seminars in Seattle.

Once again, Eric made liberal counterpoints on this and other matters by grasping single statements rather than considering the context.

(Note: The concerns of some readers to the contrary, our workplace exchanges on politics through these columns occurs without threats of violence, and actually is quite collegial.)

The problem with multiculturalism is that it grants unmerited equality to all civilizations, and bestows moral equivalency on all belief systems.

Consequently, multiculturalism undermines the foundation of America-and deprives students of a real understanding of our national heritage.

Some of Eric's other arguments came across as non-sequiturs in a thicket of dismissive remarks about conservatives along with requisite Bush bashing.

Overlooked was the fact that conservatives welcome to this country immigrants regardless of class or ethnicity or religion-when they come here legally and want to become Americans.

As columnist Michelle Malkin noted last week, "we are a sovereign nation, not a sanctuary nation."

Eric's remarks about tolerance by the left also invite comment. Space, however, requires that this wait until next time.

The views of Ralph Nichols are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Robinson Newspapers. He can be reached at ralphn@robinsonnews.com or 206-388-1857.