bloggedy blog

:: Friday, June 24, 2005 ::

So much for the Fifth Amendment
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that local governments may force property owners to sell out and make way for private economic development when officials decide it would benefit the public, even if the property is not blighted and the new project's success is not guaranteed.

What in the hell?

Since when does "emminent domain" mean the transfer of private property from one property owner to another for private, not public, use? Has economic development become so important that our government can displace homeowners or small business owners for the benefit of corporate giants?

I'm with dissenter Sandra Day O'Connor on this one. In her "strongly worded" dissent, O'Connor wrote that the ruling favors the powerful over the poor. (Surprise, surprise, eh?) Now, she wrote, the "specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory."

Link via Debi, who points out this ruling's potential effect on local churches.

:: Andrew 08:37 + ::
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