Land of the Free ??
 

Read this...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4639374.stm
I'm sure that a lot of people are already aware of the law of eminent domain and it might have already been discussed on here.
Yet another example of corporate America and the US government working together to make the world a better place :rolleyes:

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

Scary.

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

Wow

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

I think this is related to the Supreme Court case concerning eminent doamin in Connecticut:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/22/sc...minent.domain/
It's an interesting case: basically should a city be able to seize a "blighted" area (paying the rightful owners handsomly for it, of course) if the area could be better used in another way? I'd say no because I'm very pro-property rights, but it's not entirely black and white.

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

American Indians could tell us a thing or two about how it feels! :mad:

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

yeah often tell my man i feel sorry for the american indians... :(

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

Do you think I could get a Casino license after eviction?

If so let them take it!

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

Land of the free my arse!!!

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

lol there ain't nothin' free in this country :cool:

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

The interesting thing being that a 'blighted' area could well turn out to be one without a walmart within spitting distance.

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

That's the problem though - according to eminent domain rules they only have to pay current fair market value for the land/property, and in 'blighted' areas that isn't going to be a whole lot. So what will happen is that poorer people get turfed out of their property and only get enough so they can set up again in another blighted/poor neighbourhood, meanwhile the developers clean up the site, the value of the land increases, and the developers can charge bigger rents to the commercial/residential tenants of the new development and trouser the profits .

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

That'll serve the bastard right if they do get his home.

By the by, did you all read the article properly?

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

I don't like the ruling ... but you do know that the same kind of thing happens in the UK? For example, the various dockland redevelopment schemes around the UK have involved major upheaval for lots of folks. So, this begs the question: what's so different? But I agree, it's an awful ruling and should be reversed, ASAP, if not sooner.

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

yeah me too, oh how I bet they would all love to be running around the prairie's again in loin cloths, sleeping in tents and freezing their arses off in the winter with no food or whiskey or SOCIAL SECURITY.

poor bastards

Re: Land of the Free ??
 

It's pretty much true. We might moan at getting regular compensation if our abode is taken, but what of the Native Americans, this was their land and we took it largely by force of arms. Anyone planning to give their property to the Native Americans? Maybe they took it from someone else too. Come to think about it, when is Scotland going to get its full nation status back?