Where did this come from?
I really thought I was on top of things. But I turn around for five seconds and the Supreme Court expands eminent domain. Previously, cities could bulldoze your house to build say, a road or a school. With this new ruling, they can now bulldoze your house to make room for a business.
How is this justified? Justice Stevens cited the Fifth Amendment, which allows for land to be taken for the public good--and puts businesses in the same catergory as roads and schools.
Is a business really a public good? It's certainly not a public good in the same way as a school or a road is. Is economic growth worth knocking a person's house down?
The Fox News site I got the story from pegs this as a liberal decision, but I can't see this as something a liberal would do..or a conservative, for that matter. Personal property rights are one of the few things that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on.
In the real world, who exactly is for this decision? Getting your house bulldozed would be terrible regardless, but I'd feel better if mine were bulldozed for say, an elementary school than for a Starbucks.


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