So we all know, I assume, about the wild wild world of eminent domain. It’s what happens when a rich bastard decides that he wants to build a garage, or a mall, or a baseball stadium somewhere, and there are a few poor bastards who are involved. Specifically, they’re involved because they own homes or businesses on the spot of land where the rich bastard wants to build. So then government thugs come in, drag away the poor people, and contruction proceeds on schedule.
Terrible, of course, but we do at least have the consolation that it’s used fairly rarely and only affects a small number of people. Until now. Now, it seems, someone wants to build a marina in Florida. Regrettably something is in the way. Specifically an entire town is in the way. So what’s a government to do. It simple, really. They use eminent domain to clear six thousand people out, and put the marina in.
So that’s the background. The relevant point though, is the name of the mayor who’s gunning for this brilliant scheme. It’s Michael Brown.
I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but the Michael Browns are out to ruin this country. I’m not one to sit idly by while a herd of Michael Browns trample people to smithereens. Consequently, I will take action against any Michael Browns I meet.
If you are named Michael Brown, consider yourself warned.
And another Michael Brown discovering new planets* beyond Pluto. It’s worse than we thought- they’re trying to take over the rest of the solar system, too! :eek:
*Yes, I know they might eventually be considered planets, or they might not.
Disclaimer: No fan of the most recent Kelo / New London ruling and support the grassroots campaign of Logan Darrow Clements to turn Souter’s home into a Lost Liberty Hotel. But:
Poetic license aside, you leave the impression that home & business owners aren’t compensated. They are, usually above market rates.
Hey hey, now. They’re the sellers, and they determine the market. Now if they were compensated market rates, why would we need the law, the rich bastard could just buy the properties for them. What, they don’t want to sell for pennies? Why, maybe it’s because the rich bastard doesn’t want to pay market rate?
Obviously if somebody wants to build a marina where your house is, your house is suddenly a lot more expensive. Duh. The government is not going to take that into account when compensating them, will it?
I’m going to have to disagree with this. The market price for a piece of property is the price a seller is willing to accept for it. If the seller says no, you are under the market price. Market price is not established at gunpoint.
Back when the border between the U.S. and Canada was being plotted out (the last time, I guess,) a U.S. Army surveyor by the name of Michael Brown drowned in Chilliwack Lake. Conditions being what they were, it wasn’t practical to ship his body home, so they just took him a little way into the forest and buried him – and sent a nice marker north to replace the wooden one, after a few years.
It’s still there, in this totally undeveloped area, accessible only by a deer trail. A big, extremely weathered, mossy headstone. I’ve spent many, many hours propped up against that stone, reading, smoking, drinking, and generally feeling pretty fine about being alive. (My brother’s ashes are scattered there now, too.)
I’m willing to cut the Michael Browns of the world a little slack (except those of 'em that are total bastards.)
