A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
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A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
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August 18, 2005Compounding Kelo DisgraceHow about a candlelight vigil for these folks: Those who believe in the adage "when it rains, it pours" might take the tale of the plaintiffs in Kelo v. New London as a cue to buy two of every animal and a load of wood from Home Depot. The U.S. Supreme Court recently found that the city's original seizure of private property was constitutional under the principal of eminent domain, and now New London is claiming that the affected homeowners were living on city land for the duration of the lawsuit and owe back rent. It's a new definition of chutzpah: Confiscate land and charge back rent for the years the owners fought confiscation. Either national politicians are failing to seize this opportunity to grandstand against a widely despised decision, or this deserves more coverage. This shouldn't be happening, it's a shame and a disgrace. Posted by Brian Keegan at August 18, 2005 12:34 PM Comments
Insane, but true. Posted by: Kira Zalan at August 18, 2005 01:29 PMthis boggles the mind. Posted by: Ike at August 18, 2005 02:18 PMThat's COLD, dude.. Posted by: Patrick at August 18, 2005 02:54 PMBut don't forget: the living constitution can only ever bring us more and better freedoms, unlike that cold, hard, unchaging originalist constitution which makes unreasonable and anachronistic demands like private land taken by emminent domain must be for public use... Geez, you guys, just trust the "discretion" of state legislatures! That's all Kelo did, right? I mean, it isn't like they'd trample over people or anything, once freed from those tedious constitutional restrictions... [/sarcasm] Posted by: Simon at August 18, 2005 03:27 PMC'mon now Simon, we've managed to avoid a food fight for a couple weeks now! :-) Posted by: bk at August 18, 2005 03:51 PMLet's look at the implications: Therefore, any government body can exercise eminent domain simply because they think they can get more from RENTING it to the existing owners than they are getting in property taxes. Maybe Kelo and friends will contest the rent charges, too, and the Supreme Court will put some limits on "public purpose." But I wouldn't bet the ranch on it -- assuming I still own it. Posted by: wj at August 18, 2005 03:55 PMWow, if some-one wrote a movie script of this I'd critique it for the villians being too cartoonishly vile.... I guess truth is stranger then fiction. Who's representing New London... Borris Blasinov, Snidely Whiplash or SPECTRE Agent #1?
I believe New London's counsel is Simon Bar Sinister, and his legal assistant Cad. Posted by: bk at August 18, 2005 04:28 PMnew london is trying more and more to look like old london. 1321 london. Posted by: Ike at August 18, 2005 04:32 PMI lived in New London for a while a few years ago, and whatever they're charging these people for rent, it's too much, legal or not. Someone should be held up as the poster child for poor governance on this one. I thought it was Boris Badinov. Posted by: WHQ at August 18, 2005 04:44 PMBrian - I'll bring the pavlova. ;) I think WJ's point is interesting. I need to look a that in more depth. Cengel - Wow, if some-one wrote a movie script of this I'd critique it for the villians being too cartoonishly vile.... I guess truth is stranger then fiction. Who's representing New London... Borris Blasinov, Snidely Whiplash or SPECTRE Agent #1?Yes, Tom Tommorow's "wit" seems to strangely halt somewhat short of lacerating the Kelo decision. I speculated over at Volokh a few weeks ago that it might actualy be mildly embarassing for liberals to criticize Kelo, under the rubric of acts not to undertake in one's own back yard. After all, conservatives can condemn the result, the process (but cf. Balkin) and the judges. Many liberals seem to hate the result as much as most conservatives - but it was a result reached by the very process and the very judges liberals have relied on to enact vast swathes of doctrine that they really, really like. Tricky! Posted by: Simon at August 18, 2005 05:03 PMGee, what was I thinking? Imagine, holding vigils for peace when something as important as dollars are at stake???!! :-] Drop those candles, everybody! No! Don't worry where they land! Maybe if they burn down some property , then the rah-rah crowd will weep! Posted by: Blue Jean at August 19, 2005 12:01 AMTwo comments: 2) This sounds like blackmail "Sell us your property at our price or we'll take it away and then charge you X" This IS scary. Posted by: c3 at August 19, 2005 08:33 AMBlue Jean, I guess the police should stop investigating crimes like rape and arson.... after all there is a "peace vigil" going on. We all need to drop everything else that is going on in the nation and focus our undivided attention on that. After all, if we aren't thinking about Cindy Sheehan every waking moment of every day to the exclusion of all else, the sky will fall. Who cares about other minisicule issues like whether the trains are running, people are getting enough to eat and honest hard working folks are having thier homes and life savings stolen from them by thier own government. C'mon Blue Jean..... you and I have a TON of differences but I know your not enough of a hack to suggest that there isn't any room to address issues outside of the Iraq war 24 hours a day. Heck we may even be able to find an issue that we BOTH agree on. I've seen eye to eye with Carla in the past and the world hasn't even stopped spinning on it's axis. Posted by: cengel at August 19, 2005 10:13 AMI've seen eye to eye with Carla in the past and the world hasn't even stopped spinning on it's axis.No, but it wobbled a bit. Posted by: c3 at August 19, 2005 03:18 PM BJ, which do you think we had more of this past week, Candlelight vigilers, or Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo viewers? :-) Posted by: bk at August 21, 2005 01:00 PMYour blog is very interesint Posted by: Misho at September 1, 2005 10:43 PMGreat post! I'm looking forward for more. port a buayar , Fantast author Posted by: Nicolas Trumen at September 3, 2005 10:29 PM |
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