How Kelo Can They Go?
by Jonathan O'Connell writes in the Fairfield Weekly, that the Kelo seven, who lost their fight to keep their homes after the city planned to replace them with a luxury business and housing center, haven't even begun to get screwed:
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.In some cases, their debt could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Moreover, the homeowners are being offered buyouts based on the market rate as it was in 2000.
C'mon! Everybody sing along with me (to the tune of "My Country 'Tis Of Thee): "My banana republic 'tis of thee..."
Excuse me, but this is America, and we're nationalizing private property in the name of business improvement districts?
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