Okay to seize private lands

[not2late]

http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/23/news/fortune500/retail_eminentdomain/

Really, really sad, imo. I grew up in a suburban-rural area, that now looks more urban than suburban. I currently live in a place that still has farms, narrow country roads and the like. But I get the feeling in 10 years those farms will be replaced by mega-malls and McMansions and those narrow country roads will be widened to 4 lane giants.

Sad. :sadblinky

[Iapetus999]

Kewl...now I can build my secret mega-mall and get rid of my annoying neighbors at the same time! I just need to buy off a couple city councilmen and I'm there!!

[MotherOfGizmo]

It really is sad. So is all this "annexing" that's been going on around here. One city/town can just eat up another w/o them having any say at all. Its all about $$$$ :no

[mrslee44]

Well I can understand how sad urban development makes some people. I'm sad to see timbering going on the my rural community. Looks like the land has been laid to waste.

But honestly, I look for my 18 acre Gentlemen's Farm to fetch lots of money within the next 10 years or so. I paid 120k for it, and its now worth 500k. Money I'll retire on, on my property at a Lake Resort in Missouri. I'll build my dream A-frame house with the hot tub on the front deck and have a beautiful view of the Ozark Mountains during the winter, while I'm soaking in the tub.

Robin
:hug

[not2late]

Well I can understand how sad urban development makes some people. I'm sad to see timbering going on the my rural community. Looks like the land has been laid to waste.

But honestly, I look for my 18 acre Gentlemen's Farm to fetch lots of money within the next 10 years or so. I paid 120k for it, and its now worth 500k. Money I'll retire on, on my property at a Lake Resort in Missouri. I'll build my dream A-frame house with the hot tub on the front deck and have a beautiful view of the Ozark Mountains during the winter, while I'm soaking in the tub.

Robin
:hug

With this current ruling, the government can tell you that your dream A-frame house will have to go, because they need a mega-box store or a planned community of McMansions and mega-box stores on your land. That's what's scary about this ruling: the local governments can take your property away from you. Sure you'll get "compensated", but I doubt they'll build you a dream house to make up for the one they confiscated.

Low carb food for thought: When the Communists took over Russia and China, one the first things they eliminated was private land ownership.

[Piasabird]

Justices John Paul Stevens, Anthony M. Kennedy, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer formed a majority, which said New London, Conn., could force a group of homeowners to sell to the city so a riverfront hotel, private offices and a health club could be built.
"Promoting economic development is a traditional and long-accepted function of government," wrote Justice Stevens for the majority.
Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist dissented, slamming the majority for abandoning a "long-held, basic limitation on government power" to make such seizures ensured by the Bill of Rights.
Justice O'Connor said "under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be ... given to an owner who will use it in a way that the legislature deems more beneficial to the public."
http://washtimes.com/national/20050624-120942-4179r.htm

Above are the names of the justices who voted in favor of eminent domain, a practice historically used for public highway projects. Now Walmart or Target or any corporation can come in and take your family home away from you, demolish it and put up a super center or a strip mall! Forget about all of your hopes, dreams and plans. Some of you may not care and just take whatever money they give you and move on. But some people become very attached to their homes, especially elderly people. Perhaps they've lived in that house for most of their lives and have dreams of passing it onto their heirs.

I don't think that it's right to just take your property whether you want to sell it or not just so they can build another freakin' store! :anger I think the ruling sucks!

[MotherOfGizmo]

:no Why ya always gotta pick on Walmart? :no

[Piasabird]

:no Why ya always gotta pick on Walmart? :no

Because it's the evil empire! LOL

Actually, I mentioned Target, too. I think they were both mentioned in one of the articles that I read on this subject.

[MotherOfGizmo]

:no Why ya always gotta pick on Walmart? :no

Because it's the evil empire! LOL

Actually, I mentioned Target, too. I think they were both mentioned in one of the articles that I read on this subject.

Yea, I know you mentioned Target too, but I don't like Target, so I don't care! LOL :geek

[not2late]

Summary of the case:

http://www.ij.org/private_property/connecticut/

[FightingTheFight]

This figures, one by one our rights are taken away.

ustice O'Connor said "under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be ... given to an owner who will use it in a way that the legislature deems more beneficial to the public."

On what premises to they decide its better for the public? ...

Sometimes this place scares me..

[Mindykins]

We have a really sad case here in Hollywood, Florida. An area that the city wants to revitalize (and it has been mostly revitalized already and is now a trendy area), is now very attractive to developers. Several hi-rise condos are dotting the edges of this district. Now one developer has decided he wants to build a huge condo right in the middle of the main street. But to do so, he would need to demolish several businesses that stand in the way.

These businesses are owned by a family. The man who bought them just died and now the city wants the property to give to the developers, claiming eminant domain.

The wife and her son (who manages the properties do not want to sell nor do the businesses which are thriving, want to move). The city has told the family that if they do not sell to the developer they will have the buildings condemned in the name of eminant domain.

This is SO sad because these businesses fit in beautifully in this area and the now deceased owner spent a lot of money upgrading the look of the buildings to fit in with the revitalization. The widow is so upset she is now in the hospital with chest pains. She can't handle the pressure.

Plus the father left it in his will to not sell the properties because they were his dream.

SO SAD!!!

[Bugaboo]

"Eminant domain" sounds an awful lot like "manifest destiny" Not good at all. :nono I can't even believe that exsists and it's legal. Unreal.

[not2late]

Eminent domain exists (originally) because it allows the government to make improvements for the common good. For example, if a road needs to be widened, the local government can claim eminent domain and shave a few feet off your property line for that road enhancement. Or if your local government thinks having sidewalks will improve the community (less people walking on the road shoulders, therefore less pedestrian accidents), they can claim eminent domain for a few feet to have a sidewalk placed. IMO, that isn't unreasonable because widening a road or chopping in sidewalks is something that would help me and my community.

But this??? In the case that went to the supreme court, the city transfered it's eminent domain right to a private developer, so the developer could use the land for private use--not public uses like roads, sidewalks, etc. :nono

[Effie]

I live in the Northeast, one of the areas that this article mentions.

"On the East Coast, because of population density it's very hard to get big open space and the zoning is more restrictive," and "Local communities may oppose Wal-Mart and Target coming to their area but as consumers, they also want to shop at these stores and they complain when they don't have these stores nearby,"

I'm 25 miles North of Boston, and I can go to 5 different walmarts, all within a 20 minute drive. I can count at least 4 Targets within 20 minutes too (could be more). I think this land of convenience is creating a needy society where we think everything needs to be 5 minutes away, drive-through if possible, and oh yeah, the cheaper the better.