the smedley log - suburban scrawl

For all the real farmhouses that have been lost, here’s one I wouldn’t miss…

The irony of this gave me a chuckle:

Proposal Made to Seize Souter’s Property

WEARE, N.H. (AP)—Following a Supreme Court ruling last week that gave local governments power to seize private property, someone has suggested taking over Justice David Souter’s New Hampshire farmhouse and turning it into a hotel. …

I say have at it.

Now that’s just plain funny. I wondered how the Supreme Court could give such an ambiguous ruling on eminent domain. I mean, it seems to be saying that a city can take over any property it wants if there is a legitimate commercial interest. Exactly how can that be regulated?

The main gist of the ruling seems to be that local governments should make the decision—and since local governments are never unscrupulous in their hunt for more tax revenue, who needs regulation? There’s no reason to ever doubt the local government, is there—at least that seems to be what the Supremes have said…