This Space for Rent

No, no, no, it’s making government more efficient!

In the old days, when a rich or well connected man wished to possess some valuable property that belonged to someone else, he'd have to go to a lot of trouble to get it. They'd either have to hire a mob to intimidate (or kill, if they weren't squeamish) that other landowner, or they'd have to arrange with the local government to seize the land, then purchase that land from the government after a respectable amount of time. Both of these methods were fairly expensive and inefficient, and slow; the first because, believe it or not, it's actually illegal to hire mobs and murder people who foolishly own land you want, and the second is because you need to buy and pay support on politicians for long enough to do the condemnation and to wait a discreet amount of time before taking possession of the land.

It is quite fortunate that the US Supreme Court ruled today that it's okay for wealthy and well-connected people to condemn property (you still have to buy politicians, because someone in the government has to sign the forms, but that's a lot cheaper than having to keep paying support until it's not obvious that the condemnation is a government-assisted land seizure.) It may not be the final nail in the grand Evil Party plan of making the United States into Venezuela, but, wow, it certainly makes things easier.

One funny thing about this ruling is that the four reliable fascist judges voted against New London, Ct, while the 3 normally-decent judges voted in favor of the city, bringing the 2 wishy-washy ones with them. Justice O'Conner accurately described the likely results of this ruling when she said "The specter of condemnation hangs over all property, [...] Nothing is to prevent the state from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.” She didn't mention replacing a farm with a larger more-efficient "game park", or replacing a row of "blighted" homes with a nice private garden for the mansion down the street, or even replacing a row of summer camps with a private beach for J. Random Republican the Third. If I had a summer house in Kennebunkport, I'd be putting it on the market now and buying a house somewhere far distant from the line of sight of the upper class twits who now control the United States.

But if you are a well-connected (read: Evil Party super-premium donor) rich person, your life has just become a little bit easier, and now the government doesn't have to waste your time making property condemnation look innocent.

At least as long as there's no oil or natural gas under your (ex-)property.

(via Arthur Silber and Bottle of Blog)

Comments


It was a bizarre decision, though, wasn't it?

Three of the people on the Court I absolutely despise--O'Connor, I don't. She actually makes some reasoned, intelligent decisions--her dicta in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in particular. But three Justices I think are absolutely horrendous rule in favor of the little people, while the "moderates" rule for big bidness.

I can't figure it out.

Is there something I'm missing? Is there another angle to this case?

ricky Thu Jun 23 22:38:15 2005

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