Eminent domain

[Deegan]

I have not heard one argument that makes any sense, or that justifies a few, standing in the way of many?

This is no different then a school, road, police station, etc. The city needed this business to keep all of these important city functions running. This was not private business getting their way, it was city government, Phizer could have built their research center anywhere, the city went after these businesses, and for good reason. I had not heard about the four times the value, but that seems like more then fair, as life must go on, so with progress.

The tough luck is with the stubborn home owners who refused to help the community grow, I don't feel sorry for them. My grandparents lost their first home to a school, if it had been a business, it would not have lessened the blow, things like this happen, you just have to get over it, and move on. The more we grow, the more this is going to happen, so choose your property wisely, to try and avoid this situation, it's really all you can do.

 

[Kandahar]

This is no different then a school, road, police station, etc. The city needed this business to keep all of these important city functions running.

Following that to its logical conclusion, if someone richer than you wants your home, do you think your city government should have the right to confiscate it from you and give it to him, since he'll pay more in taxes? This is happening in many eminent domain cases following the Kelo decision.

The more we grow, the more this is going to happen, so choose your property wisely, to try and avoid this situation, it's really all you can do.

I completely agree, although I'd rephrase the moral. Rather than "choose your property wisely and try to avoid this situation," you could also say "avoid cities like New London, which don't respect property rights, like the plague."

I hope the Supreme Court overturns this flagrant abuse of government power in the years to come.

 

[debate_junkie]

Eminent domain is just another case of "The rich get richer and the poor are not only poorer, but homeless, too" Government has NO business interfering with private ownership of homes. Government is all too LIBERAL at revoking property of seniors on fixed incomes, who've PAID for their property, only to have it stolen because the amount of property taxes sometimes doubles and triples in short spans, and they can no longer afford to pay them.

But I digress, I'll deal with property taxes and the theft of property that way, at another time.

I'm tired of hearing how the taking of someone's home is for the "good of the public" what about the homeowner? What about the person who's lived there for a number of years, to have to suddenly start over again? And Ghandi, compensation for property taken under eminent domain isn't 4x the amount the property is worth. It's barely what market value is. Government decides what the compensation will be. THEY hire the appraiser, who then tells them what it's worth. It's not taken into account what it was worth when the owner bought it, how much work he's done to increase the value. Nope, they get what the market in that particular neighborhood is at.