Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes

[BamaLefty]

This doesn't sound too good to me. :shrug:

WASHINGTON -- A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights.

The 5-4 ruling represented a defeat for some Connecticut residents whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex. They argued that cities have no right to take their land except for projects with a clear public use, such as roads or schools, or to revitalize blighted areas.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062300783_pf.html

[Taverner]

1. Sigh...I remember America

too bad she's gone

[Imagine My Surprise]

2. Someone please explain to me..wasn't it the liberal Supremes who did this?

[SoCalDem]

3. What a bonanza for cities

:eyes:

Now they can identify "blighted areas"...large swaths of them, and "offer" the land to walmart & home depot...thus "creating" jobs, and clearing-cutting the "uglies" :(

note: emminent domain has been around for a long time, and *² is very familiar with it.. google: curtis-mathes bush

[paula777]

4. Doesn't sound good to anyone except for big businesses

[BamaLefty]

7. Exactly.

:(

[atreides1]

5. Isn't this the kind of thing...

That the Founding Fathers fought and died to prevent. So someone tell me again why another revolution isn't the way to go?

And please no hue and cry about shedding blood, because the other side will have no problem shooting us down in the street, whether we
resisit or not.

[Tesla]

9. I know it is why my forefathers fought for this country

To have the right to own land and "bear arms against it". If they wanted to.
This crosses all party lines.... this is big business at its best...

They won! They own U$.....

[Mist]

6. I've been following this for a while, just in news snippets

here and there. I admit I was optimistic enough to think that this was such a blatant misuse of the "eminent domain" rule that it wouldn't prevail. I hate being wrong. The only tiny sliver of a silver lining I can see is that more Pugs will realize what their party is really about. This is modern feudalism, the big guys can take pretty much anyone's home and toss the owners out. THIS is the real ownership society.

[jzodda]

8. Its a Disgusting and DANGEROUS ruling

Wow and just look at who was in the majority and who was in the minority..All the more liberal justices said yes and all the conservatives said no..


This ruling makes me sick...Who stands up for the little people these days?

From the Wasington Post

"Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been a key swing vote on many cases before the court, issued a stinging dissent. She argued that cities should not have unlimited authority to uproot families, even if they are provided compensation, simply to accommodate wealthy developers"

[Nye Bevan]

10. Outrageous

So now I can be evicted from my house if Walmart decides that it would like to build a store on my property.

[BiggJawn]

15. That's about the size of it.

They can take your house, give you "compensation" that wouldn't equal the closing costs on a second Mortgage, then drive a bulldozer through the place. I wonder if they're contracting out the bulldozing to the Israeli Army?

But the BEST part is that they then GIVE your property to Wally-World for FREE, citing "Economic Delvelopment" as the reason for giving Wally millions of bucks worth of land in ADDITION to about ten years of NO TAXES WHATSOEVER!

And Wally-world schools their new-hires on how to apply for food stamps and go to the county hospital when their kids have the sniffles...

[tex-wyo-dem]

11. Amazingly freepers and DUers are agreeing on this one...

(that the decision sucks, that is).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3927762

2nd edit: freeperville and DU also seem to be in agreement on the flag burning issue as well...will wonders ever cease?

[montanacowboy]

12. so much for our "Liberal" Justices

they just told big business and the corporations they have the right to take your home......can you frickin believe it?

maybe we do need more conservatives on the court

[Dez]

14. U.S governement stole the land

from us natives,to give to thier people.. now they have the green light to steal from their own people! incredible!

[ooglymoogly]

13. wait a minute the "liberal" side of the court rammed this through

something weird here

[asjr]

19. I think it proves we are being screwed out of all

our rights. I am so sick of our civil liberties being assaulted on every front. I am going into the kitchen and make a Walnut Fudge Pie to alleviate my pain.

[tex-wyo-dem]

16. I would really like to see the written opinions on this decision.

i.e. what were they thinking...

[Deb]

17. This is horrible but

could make a really great issue for Dems to get elected on local levels. Every city/town government could still pass a law prohibiting the seizure of land for private development.

Hope this wakes more people up to get involved locally, I certainly will be contacting my town board and making their responses known.

[Katidid]

18. This must be what

Bush means when he talks about "ownership society"...

[jzodda]

20. Bush had nothing to do with this!! Thats the terrible part

This ruling comes from LIBERAL JUSTICES

[ComerPerro]

21. Wonder what their reason was for this?

For supporting it.

[The Revolution]

22. Hmmm. It says local governments may seize businesses as well...

Does this mean if you took over your city's local government, then you could seize the property of any business? If you can take over a business for private development, then can you take over one for public development?

For instance, could you sieze Walmart, tear it down, and build a public park? Could you keep the store just have the city take over operations? How about things like privately owned power companies or hospitals? Are we now free to seize them and do what we want with them (including making them publically owned and operated)?

Maybe we can use this to turn the tables on the corporations? :evilgrin:

[converted_democrat]

23. I left the Republican party do to them selling out "the people" of our

country. I think it's time that we realize that it is actually being done by both sides. The bankruptcy bill is a perfect example. Our country is gone. People don't matter anymore. I think there are dirty players on both sides and the quicker we vote them out of office the better. Any politician on either side that values corporations over "the people" need to be voted out. Democrats and Republicans will never agree on everything, nor should they. That's what's so wonderful about our country. However, we both need to realize that we aren't going to have a country to argue about, if corporations complete their take over. We need to stand together and elect people on both sides that put the people first.