WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development.

It was a decision fraught with huge implications for a country with many areas, particularly the rapidly growing urban and suburban areas, facing countervailing pressures of development and property ownership 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.

As a result, cities now have wide power to bulldoze residences for projects such as shopping malls and hotel complexes in order to generate tax revenue.

Local officials, not federal judges, know best in deciding whether a development project will benefit the community, justices said.

"The city has carefully formulated an economic development that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including — but by no means limited to — new jobs and increased tax revenue," Justice
John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority.

He was joined by Justice
Anthony Kennedy, David H. Souter,
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.

At issue was the scope of the Fifth Amendment, which allows governments to take private property through eminent domain if the land is for "public use."

Susette Kelo and several other homeowners in a working-class neighborhood in New London, Conn., filed suit after city officials announced plans to raze their homes for a riverfront hotel, health club and offices.

New London officials countered that the private development plans served a public purpose of boosting economic growth that outweighed the homeowners' property rights, even if the area wasn't blighted.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050623/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_seizing_property_2



Any thoughts on this injustice? This is one of the reasons I am going to extremes to turn the land I buy into a natural preserve... This way the government will not be able to take my land and build roads/buildings on it against my will.

CJ

I'm not surprised in the slightest... not one 'hint' of surprise.

Wait 10yrs and this will come out in the UK mainland.
Wait 20yrs and it'll be in Ireland.

Hmm, that's horrible.

I love America! I also love the Patriot Act, and Oil Crusades, and the state of our Education system. I won't be surprised if kids in this country can't even read in 25 years.

i wonder if the gov. likes spagetti

This is on of the reasons some people think I'm anti-America. Yeah, I'm proud to be who I am, but our country is so messed up. No one is free...The government has too much power and the people too little. That is why houses are destroyed everyday for stupid reasons like this. And what can the people do? Nothing. They get to sit and watch their houses be torn apart because some idiot thought he could make a lot of money by putting a mall there. People like that really irk me. Chances are, CJ, you won't be able to make your land a natural preserve or whatnot cuz the government will say something stupid like "Well, we may wanna build a mall there one day, so sorry, but we can't do that." >:( "Land of the free..." Yeah...right...

I've gone through a lot of the requirments for such for the land I want. It's will meet the requirments and then some. We'll have to see what happens next year.

CJ

This is on of the reasons some people think I'm anti-America. Yeah, I'm proud to be who I am, but our country is so messed up. No one is free...The government has too much power and the people too little. That is why houses are destroyed everyday for stupid reasons like this. And what can the people do? Nothing. They get to sit and watch their houses be torn apart because some idiot thought he could make a lot of money by putting a mall there. People like that really irk me. Chances are, CJ, you won't be able to make your land a natural preserve or whatnot cuz the government will say something stupid like "Well, we may wanna build a mall there one day, so sorry, but we can't do that." >:( "Land of the free..." Yeah...right...

You are right, this country is going rapidly down hill. We can thank our excellent leader for some of it, Kerry wasn't much better however, I guess that Bush is the lesser of two evils. Pretty soon we'll be fighting to have ANY money in the school system, and we'll be at war with 10 nations, Argh I love this country.

*considers buying an island in the middle of the ocean where no one can bother him*

CJ

*Moves to Europe*

You are right, this country is going rapidly down hill. We can thank our excellent leader for some of it, Kerry wasn't much better however, I guess that Bush is the lesser of two evils. Pretty soon we'll be fighting to have ANY money in the school system, and we'll be at war with 10 nations, Argh I love this country.
people often argue, "well, it is one of the best places in the world..." maybe so, but the world is going downhill as well. do not be ignorant.

I'm being ignorant? Look at the European Union. The value of the Euro is shooting up, jobs are opening up, it's becoming unified, looks like a much brighter future there.

i was not saying it to anyone specifically. just warning those who are. i don't know anyone who is. especially you^. sorry i worded that so.. weird...

No harm done. I'm so tired of people with blind patriotism. This country is going so far downhill so quickly...

This whole ruling is completely ridiculous and has made me question how competent the justices have become. Seriously, taking away land from those who rightfully have paid for it - and also without their consent and approval - is unethical, unAmerican, and frightening. I'm afraid of what might happen in the future.

I guess it just goes with my theory that America is going to...well, ya know. There has never been a nation that was great that didn't fall in the past, which to me says that we're next. Generally these nations have fallen when they've strayed from God, and I'd say we're headed that way. Yeah, there's still a good number of Christians and blah blah blah, but this nation is divided. Horribly divided. And with the government doing things like that, who knows what'll happen. I believe that someone, (quite possibly in my lifetime), will wage war against us and we will lose. Who knows, we might even wage war against ourselves. :-\

i think the whole world is headed that way...it's so sad. it's like we're the only people who can even try to succesfully stop it.

But it's a futile effort. The European Union, and the PRC will outgun us soon. We keep shutting down military bases, and spreading ourselves too thin.

I'm being ignorant? Look at the European Union. The value of the Euro is shooting up, jobs are opening up, it's becoming unified, looks like a much brighter future there.

Brighter future, he*muffle*, give me a minute...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHA

Alright, I think it's all ouHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Okay, now to the point. The EU? The politics are 1000 times worst, yeough, it's disgusting. You think it's bad here (I love America, for the record, best country out there), read the news, look at the crackpot things they try to do there.

One of the things we need to see happen is to get back to the roots of our government. The people need to be the base of the government, not the government the base of the people. This is where we started going wrong when they had taken too much power for themselves. Instead of the people voting, we now have a house and congress that votes, and the decision is final whether or not the people agree. This is not right and this is not what our origional founders had in mind. It makes me wonder the sanity of some of the people in congress for some of the obviously STUPID decisions they make, or if they are being bought out. I mean, come on, any idiot can see that taking someones house in order to install a privitely run business facility is a STUPID idea. What goes on behind closed doors is "not our business" yet this is a government of "the people"...

CJ

You're right CJ, but what can we really do? Point it out and I'd love to do it, but I can't really think of anything short of a disatrous event (much worse than 9/11) to get people to snap back to attention. I'm open to ideas...

I wonder why no one has done anything about it...I mean, isn't it obvious that the people are no longer in control? Perhaps no one's done anything cuz they're too busy sueing people, holding marches for animal rights, and looking out for their own good. Heh...we'll see what happens then. =P

a nation found on God is now trying to turn their faces from Him and rely on their own works. which aren't even halfway decent anymore, it seems...

Hmm, seems allusional to those who were made to roam the desert for forty years...

very true...

*sigh* all i can say is wat has been already said...this country is falling b/c we have fallen from our roots. i love this country dearly, too much to give up on it. just as much as this should be a disscussion thread, this should be a a prayer request thread b/c prayer is the only way things will change here & wen they do...it wont be slight. we will either fall to our death or be completly restored. God help us all but i donno bout u but im not going down w/o a fight; there is still time to restore fire in the heart on this nation.

><sarah><

very good way to look at things. :)

More proof in my belief that we do in fact live in Babylon? ;)

CJ

More proof in my belief that we do in fact live in Babylon? ;)

CJ
Babylon? har? Are you making reference to Revelation or something?

I wonder why no one has done anything about it...I mean, isn't it obvious that the people are no longer in control? Perhaps no one's done anything cuz they're too busy sueing people, holding marches for animal rights, and looking out for their own good. Heh...we'll see what happens then. =P

The only thing that will change a country on the scale that you're talking about is a revolution, and that's not going to happen.

The only thing that will change a country on the scale that you're talking about is a revolution, and that's not going to happen.
... or God does something absolutely majorly huge.

... or God does something absolutely majorly huge.

Wouldn't that be an interference with the free will of the leaders of this country?

Wouldn't that be an interference with the free will of the leaders of this country?
:P It depends on how God feels about their actions, I guess. I mean, people do good and bad things and there are consequences to every action. So if God is so displeased with them, He may decided for them to feel the full weight of their choices. *shrugs* And who's to say they have rights over God anyway?

No, it wouldn't inhibit free will, He could just choose to help show certain people that they should go into politics or something...

i agree that this is a horrible decision on the part of the Justices, but who's to say this won't become a blight on our history, like the "seperate but equal" ruling just before the turn of the century (Plessy V. Ferguson)? this could very well be overturned in 10 years.

the best part of our system of government is that it leaves room for correction.

Mike's right, let's not be pessimistic.

That's kinda difficult when in history you learn of how America has had all these great court cases which have led to bad decisions for our country, when society as a whole seems to be in a downward spiral, and when you look at the fact that every great nation has fallen. :-\

true, but on the optimistic side, everything will eventually fall. EV-ER-Y-THING. it's not to say i want to see it happen, but no kingdom (or nation or government) has or will last forever.

Exactly. My concern is whether or not we are seeing the beginning of this for America... :-\

But look at the big court cases that turned out for the better, too.

all i can say is that God is in control of the situation. nothing will happen apart from wat he will have/let happen. just look @ it this way, america will eventually fall & so will the rest of the world, but we are part of a kingdom that wil never fall & so lets induct as many new members as we can b4 we chek outta here. heaven is out real home, this is just a pitstop. ;)

><sarah><

true...
we should be optimistic. we're not living in some third-world country with hardly any food and the choice of either 1)drinking nothing and die that way or 2) die from drinking contaminated water. even though it's pretty bad, how many places are better on this earth? not many. let's count our blessings.

WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!


No just kidding, that was my excitement for the day.

Anyways...this is a bad issue and all, but what does it have to do w/ Mars Hill?? j/w (not an attack)

Mars Hill is a place for topics of deep discussion. So this fits quite nicely here.

I'm pretty baffled at the decision. I can understand the defence side of this if it was for developing roads, parks, and things of that nature. It's complete garbage when it's for a privately owned business office. If they were so concerned with economic developement there's plenty of areas with old closed down buildings that would be ripe for revitalization. Remodeling, rebuilding, and repurposing abandoned buildings would help any area. I'm just happy that my little city, which isn't so little anymore there is already a mall and a small airport, and were so close to the elementary school that this wouldn't happen to us. That however doesn't make it any less wrong to take away someones property reguardless of what amount of money the government give to the owner.

I vote smaller government. The government has too much power, including the right to do whatever they deem 'necessary' with our property. We don't need the government to tell us what to do with our money (anti-SS myself), our property (anti-communist myself), or how to worship (not that I am against 'under God' in our pledge of allegience. That is just ridiculous to say that is respecting an establishment of religion!)...

A small government is a clean one.

I found this most disappointing. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was repealed in years sooner than 10. Why? Take a look at this (http://www.freestarmedia.com/hotellostliberty2.html) irony.

And whoever said they wouldn't be surprised if our children couldn't read in 25 years... they already can't write, spell (as I see all over the Internet), and they definitely have some lax grammar.

Nightcrawler, A small gov't is one that is easily kicked around. The only reason we have lasted this long is because we have a powerful gov't.

I don't think the government needs to neccessarily be smaller, but more run by the people. I think that we do need certain leaders to in a sense lead us in major decisions and stuff like that, but overall, it should be the people in charge. I think what needs to happen is for the government to listen to the people more instead of just doing what they see fit for the country.

Nightcrawler, A small gov't is one that is easily kicked around. The only reason we have lasted this long is because we have a powerful gov't.

So, heavy governmental power over the masses makes the nation strong? What about the ol' USSR? Sweden? China? Many of those had command economies, high social programs, and lots of laws. USSR is gone, Sweden ... well, isn't a world power, and China will go under if it doesn't fix some things.

See, I just think the government should back off of the economy and everything. That is where I care the most about gov' interaction. My cousin does nothing, yet she bought a HUGE big screen TV. Why? Because she knows that the government will give her aid because she has a legally mentally handicapped kid.

If I want to give someone money, I want to decide who. I don't want taxes (which are legal, and I will pay them) to be spent in a way that doesn't give someone incentive to work. The government is impersonal, and no one feels the least bit concerned when they mooch off and use the government.

Okay, whatever I just said that was kinda going in every direction.