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freshwest

(53,661 posts)
13. Since Kelo v. City of New London decision in 2005, it's the law of the land:
Fri Aug 24, 2012, 12:38 AM
Aug 2012

Last edited Fri Aug 24, 2012, 02:43 PM - Edit history (2)

Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005)[1] was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private owner to further economic development. In a 5–4 decision, the Court held that the general benefits a community enjoyed from economic growth qualified private redevelopment plans as a permissible "public use" under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

The case arose in the context of condemnation by the city of New London, of privately owned real property, so that it could be used as part of a “comprehensive redevelopment plan.”


This is the really disgusting part, other than the principle itself:

However, the private developer was unable to obtain financing and abandoned the redevelopment project, leaving the land as an empty lot, which was eventually turned into a temporary dump.[2]

The reaction and changes made after this, an apology to Kelo; and how the city lost tens of millions of dollars on this fiasco is at the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London

I remember reading of a case where a full community - schools, houses, churches, libraries were seized to be razed o give room to a new Toyota auto factory and parking lot. It was all condemned. There was an interview with a priest at an Orthodox Church who was a refugee from Russia. He claimed that not even Stalin would have dared to do such a thing.

There was a story of a neighborhood where people, like this place in CT which took Kelo's home, where the city condemned a post WW2 era neighborhood that was well kept, in which the people had lived and worked and thought they'd get to retire as they'd paid off their homes. The reasons were arbitrary, such as the homes only had 2 bedrooms and one bathroom, much like my old home was. The residents tried to get help, but it was done anyway.

That is part of the reason, IMO, that fracking is being allowed because the US SC did this, despite some changes being made. I remember the days when eminent domain was used to build bridges, roads, etc. but under public ownership and accountable, part of the Commons.

Instead we have global corporations interfering with people who have played by all the rules, and as we can see from Romney, they do not mean the people any good. But a few pockets will get fatter, and that is who will vote for Romney.

Now it's for the corporations which can be fly by night, irresponsible 'persons' and are not be trusted. They will, like Bain, leave a community in bad straits if it is good for their bottom line. Our communities and people deserve much better than this.

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