Shed a tear with me.

[SlipperySlope]

I've seen a lot of things go wrong in this country in my life, but for some idealistic reason I though our last best hope was the Supreme Court. I even thought I knew who the "good guys" and the "bad guys" were. But today, my world turned upside down. This supreme court ruling on private property leaves me wondering what the hell America stand for anymore.

I don't expect a lot of responses to this post. But if you do bother to read it, please read this and think about what it means:

The New London neighborhood that will be swept away includes Victorian-era houses and small businesses that in some instances have been owned by several generations of families. Among the New London residents in the case is a couple in their 80s who have lived in the same home for more than 50 years.

Eighty years old. Fifty years of paying property taxes, making a home, and being in a community. Gone. I'm crying now, because America is dead to me today.

And this ruling was the opinion of Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer? Excuse me? Will someone please tell me where to direct my rage?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

1. with this sort of government in place...

the US is dead...but amerika is growing by leaps and bounds.

theProdigal

[Hugin]

I'm right there with you.

This ruling is despicable!

[cry baby]

2. It's just not the same America, is it?

terribly sad

[LaurenG]

3. Unfortunately

This kind of thing happens all the time. Immanent domain where the good of the whole is more important than the individual. Cincinnati recently lost a whole neighborhood to a developer.

[Hugin]

5. "good of the whole is more important than the individual"

This ruling violates even this premise... It puts the
good of the influential individual over the good of the average
individual.

[annabanana]

6. "THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE"

This is where I have the biggest problem. Anything that "improves" the tax base is now considered "the good of the whole", regardless of what occupied the land previously. A strip mall will beat out an established residential neighborhood everytime.

I always thought private property could only be seized if it were "blighted".

[LaurenG]

11. Well you know how easy it is to condemn property now

It's a crying shame because the whole applies to developers and as they say the tax base. It's very sad and very wrong.

[Amelie]

9. There's a difference

Between government taking the land for public use (traditional imminent domain), and a private corporation taking land for company profits.

[LaurenG]

12. Of course there is

But they will twist this to suit themselves. I couldn't believe it when it happened. Now it's going to happen a whole lot more.

[ET Awful]

10. Previously Emminent Domain applied to government projects

this is entirely different. This case involves taking of land for commercial uses.

[LaurenG]

14. I have never heard of an individual

winning a case when the city/county/state pulled the emminent domain thing out of their hats. I wish I could remember the name of the developer here. He started about 2-3 years ago trying to buy out property owners. When some wouldn't sell the city came in and told them they would sell and claimed the property.

[sleipnir]

4. I fear a citizens' revolt may only be months away.

If the law keeps distancing itself from the needs of the citizens, there will be no other recourse for disaffected people than through the disgrace of violence.

[ET Awful]

7. According to what I just heard, this was all to help out Pfizer

in a new facility they're building.

[paula777]

8. I share your sentiments slipperyslope. I'm DONE with this country

[NewYorkerfromMass]

13. consider that New London/Groton is losing their sub base

and the area will badly need the jobs. Would you rather they just build another Indian Casino in the area?

[RandomKoolzip]

16. But it's not just about the Groton sub base.

This sets a dangerous precedent. For the longest time, the government had the rule of imminent domain (which the ACLU and other civil libertarian groups fought against), but for the first time, this ruling extends that ability to corporate entities.

Think about it: now McDonald's or WalMart can seize your property and turn it into a strip mall, and you won't have the recourse of the government to help you. It's not about building highways anymore.

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. My respect for the SCOTUS went down with the BUSH v. Gore decision

in 2000.

THIS decision is appalling! What the hell happened?! What are they doing???!!!! Our more Liberal-minded justices have gone to the dark side? :grr:

[Chemical Bill]

17. The corporate agenda is neither liberal nor conservative.

They have convinced repugs that it is conservative, and it is called that by the corporate media, but it ain't conservative. They are certainly willing to use the liberals when they can. My personal opinion is that the SCOTUS decided to let the "liberals" pass this one and take the heat, figuring it would blow over quicker that way. While we fight the freepers over distractions, and fight the PTB over the Democratic party, the corporate agenda rolls on.

Bill

[Bluerthanblue]

18. i'm so disapointed

in justice Souter-
he's usually a voice of reason... i want to read the brief-

and your rage?.... i guess at everyone.... at the capitolistic mentality we all have adopted with such..... non-chalance???? we don't really embrace the value of 'community' in it's truest sense anymore. We're all too busy trying to 'get ahead' or find that unknown intangible 'thing'- 'place'- 'person' that will make us 'complete'. when what i really think is it is inside each one of us, we just don't recognize it-

how sad- and i do share your dispair