The Greatest Government Taking of Property in History?

[mattclearing]

I was reading http://cnn.worldnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=CNN.com+-+Police%3A+New+Orleans+%27completely+destroyed%27+-+Sep+5%2C+2005&expire=-1&urlID=15424811&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2005%2FUS%2F09%2F05%2Fkatrina.impact%2Findex.html&partnerID=2006">this article at CNN about the thousands of people who refuse to leave New Orleans, and it occurred to me that if the Bush gameplan is to bulldoze New Orleans and remake it as a new tourist destination, sans original residents, these people are the last line of defense against it becoming an American Fallujah.

Does anyone else suspect that we may soon see these people being forcibly removed from their homes by the National Guard so that the bulk of New Orleans can be razed?

Someone mentioned that many of the ownership documents that would have corroborated claims of property ownership in the area were likely destroyed in the flood, and that got me thinking that if the plan, as it seems to be, is to evacuate, demolish, and rebuild, then New Orleans will likely be the site of the biggest government taking in U.S. history.

After all, if confirming the ownership of a vast number of buildings in New Orleans is going to be impossible, and the populace is being forcibly removed, then the end result is going to have to involve the Feds not only taking control of the city, but actually taking a good deal of property away from the actual owners.

[Talismom]

1. I think that this is very serious and exactly what is going on! n/t

[bleever]

2. Beware! Nominated.

[longship]

3. Carpetbaggers!!!

That's the name for it. We must use that nomenclature and *only* that nomenclature.

Republican Carpetbaggers!!!
Nominated.

[ms liberty]

11. Yea, carpetbaggers is right...here's why to use it...

the pukes hold on the south could be very damaged if that were to stick. One thing that still rankles in the south from the war is the yankees coming in and taking over, exactly where the word came from. Additionally, this time you have the federal government trying to take the power away from the state, the whole "states rights" issue. Calling them carpetbaggers gets that whole subject conveyed in one word. Great idea, longship...I'll add it to my repetoire of comebacks for this disaster.

[mattclearing]

12. Interesting. It didn't strike me as that powerful, but I'm in DC.

It makes sense though that people would be particularly sensitive to that kind of thing in the South.

[davidlynch]

4. Agree--Shameless Plug For Related Article

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4647282

[mattclearing]

7. This is excellent as well.

I was aware of the rebuilding angle. The thing that I didn't think of until now was that somehow that property will have to be redistributed by the time this is all said and done.

I'm sure the national mortgage companies will be able to corroborate ownership, but the property value of most New Orleans land right now is probably at zero.

However, the most likely scenario has either the government or some government contracted entity (KBR) buying low (underwater) and selling high (new development).

[nashville_brook]

20. wow -- this is really good. exactly what we've been talking about

here on the porch!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. They wouldn't. Nominated btw.

[The Magistrate]

6. Not Even Close, Sir

Governments have stolen tremendously greater amounts of property in the past.

It is an unfortunate fact that most of the structures in the city are now unfit for habitation: it really is not possible for most residents to continue there in the near future.

Ownership is a question of government records, and the state of the archives is certainly unknown, but there is no reason to suppose ownership will be untraceable, though it may take time in many instances.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. Wouldn't the records have been put on a hard drive, microfiche or

something else by now?? I mean, do the PEOPLE have to produce PAPER to prove ownership??

[mattclearing]

10. Depends on who's in charge...you may need ID to vote... n/t

[mattclearing]

9. Well, greatest since Indian removal and the Civil War, anyway.

Hyperbole aside, it does worry me.

[CrispyQ]

13. I beleive absolutely that this will happen.

Boosh's greedy developer friends will swoop in & grab the land for pennies for the dollar. Not to mention Halliburton & the ultra-greedy oil companies -- you know they will want/need that critical Gulf coast port. They will rebuild & rake in billions - after upgrading the levees, of course.

My husband now calls it the Gulf of Texaco. Sad, but true.

[Lorien]

14. A rightwinger I know was saying yesterday

"They need to send down Disney and other big developers to redo New Orleans 'cause they would do it right". I'm sure that handing out large segments of the city to megacorp developers IS in the BushCo plans somewhere.

[Cats Against Frist]

22. Kill. Me. Now.

This is what I hate about wingnuts, most of all. They would be deep into doing the same thing to Iraq, if it wasn't for all the blown-up people. You will be assimilated. Re-make everything into the greatest cultural fucking void in history.

[tinrobot]

15. Just saying that in another thread.

Might explain why Bush is so keen on taking full government control from the local authorities. Gives them more power to steal land.

I can see them stealing vast portions of New Orleans to let their buddies redevelop it as a Las Vegas/Atlantic City of the south.

[mattclearing]

16. It would be a terrible shame, but that seems to be the plan.

New Orleans = New Orlando.

[AmBlue]

17. * is well-acquainted with eminent domain

...and all it's attendant benefits from his baseball stadium-building days back in Texas. I wouldn't put this past him for one minute.

[pitohui]

18. documents not being salvaged

nola.com has a story right now abt trucks being turned away that came to salvage documents today

unclear to me if these were the historical records only or also deeds or records of current ownership

linky, written by their real estate writer:
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#077097

this might be a blog, scroll down if the story no longer on top

on a more careful re-read, it does include the real estate documents at the courthouse, they are not being allowed to get them out to safety

[nashville_brook]

19. i'm not able to get to the article... anyone have another linkee??

anyone having the same trouble?

[pitohui]

23. first four paragraphs

by Greg Thomas

Specialists working for the New Orleans Notorial Archives have been stymied in trying to return downtown to rescue some of the most historic documents in the city’s history, from original land grants to slave sale records and title records.

Federal troops have refused to let them through checkpoints into the city.

The Notorial Archives hired Munters Corp., a Swedish document salvage firm that freezes and then freeze-dries records to slowly remove moisture from them. But Munters’ refrigerated trucks were turned away by uniformed troops as they tried to enter the city, said Stephen Bruno, custodian of the archives.

The trucks were headed to the Civil District Courthouse on Poydras Street, where many of the city’s real estate documents are housed, and to the former Amoco building at 1340 Poydras St., which houses historic documents such as a letter from Jean Lafitte to Washington demanding for his expenditures during the Battle of New Orleans.
Eddy Pokluda, head of national sales for Munters in Dallas, said the company tried to get one person in to make an assessment of the damage but was turned away, even though days earlier they had coordinated with New Orleans police to have an escort into the city.

[nashville_brook]

24. thank you...figured out my browser was adding and extra "http"

[Chicago Democrat]

21. Its obvious... Its CRIMINAL.... ITS ETHNIC CLEANSING!

Damn them for all eternity!