Wealthy developers can take your home

The Supreme Court has made a split decision ruling (5-4) that the government has the right to take your property (called eminent domain) for private economic development. Steven Anderson, coordinator for the Castle Coalition, the Washington-based Institute for Justice's grass-roots property rights division said, the decision, which allows government to take private property after paying "just compensation," provides for an "unconstitutional land grab" in which the middle and working classes will be most vulnerable. 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. Susette Kelo and several other homeowners in a working-class neighborhood in New London, Connecticut, filed suit after city officials announced plans to raze their homes for a riverfront hotel, health club and offices. This is all about corporate America pulling strings to get what they want. These are beautiful family homes and neighborhoods that are going to be destroyed for business to make a buck. 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. The lower courts had been divided on the issue, with many allowing a taking only if it eliminates blight. "Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random," O'Connor wrote. "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms."