The principle is all wrong here. Why should the government be allowed to take someones home for private development? I can much better understand if it were necessary for a public works project, but never for private development. Where would it end?
Screw them!
Besides, 442,000 is not outrageous for the location.
so she's making an obnoxious amount of profit to move her house, and she's still whining about the whole thing?
"Appraised value" doesn't mean it can be replaced for that amount. Criticize her for making an "obnoxious amount of profit" when the government forcibly takes your property -- not for public use as Constitutionally allowed, but to give to another private party for that private party to use to generate profits -- and offers you an amount that is completely unacceptable to you but considered an "obnoxious amount of profit" by others who didn't own the property in the first place.
Its not as if she had a choice to not take the money and stay where she is. I would still be pissed if they made me move my home..
Well she fought them all the way to the Supreme Court, for which we should all be grateful, as it exposed the socialist, property hating majority on the court and the sad state our post-constitutional republic has fallen into.
We don't know the details, but in deals like this the initial appraised values (appraised by the same government that is taking it) are usually laughable.
Imagine this: How about you sell me your car that way? I come over, I appraise the value, I give you a check for that amount, I drive your car home. No input from you required! You can trust me! I'm a government employee. Of course I'm fair. (Actually I'm not, but you get the point).
Funny, she never mentions this obscene amount of money in all her ravings. I'm just saying....
If the government forced you to sell your Microsoft stock in 1995, at three times its 1990 market value (when it first filed its lawsuit to force you to sell), how would you feel today? (In 1990, MSFT's stock price - split-adjusted - was 0.85. In 1995, it was about $6). Eminent domain for commercial development purposes is simply a way for the government to gang up with private developers to steal money from homeowners.
The weird thing is that folks here are like sheep about eminent domain. In China, they fought pitched battles with armed police and paramilitary troops armed with automatic rifles. Whatever the Kelo decision said, you can be sure that Uncle Sam would furiously backpedal after a few armed confrontations involving body counts.
man, you missed the point on this whole thing, huh? It ain't about the money! The fact that this woman is being forcibly removed from her home by the gov't for other private concerns has completely eluded you.
And whining? Again, she was forcibly removed from her home because she refused to sell it. You see nothing wrong with the entire premise of this whole situation? This case set a precedent on the role of property rights (RIP) in this country. Please tell me you accidentally left off the sarcasm tag.
She was FORCED to move her house against her will, so that her property could be seized by private developers who will make a heck of lot more than $300,000 profit from her portion of the seized land.
"$300,000 above the appraised value . . . . in 2000."
How much have home values increased since 2000?
My brother is located near a refinery in a 1300 sqft home in California that he bought in 1998 for $180,000. He just spun that home for $380,000.
You gotta love press spin.
I went to school in New London. I saw how this went down, and I can't believe these idiots on the development commission don't get it.
As for her whining about the situation, I'd say she's justified.
Just a question, say you and your family had lived in a home for generations. Grandparents, parents, you, your children, etc. had grown up there. It's the family "Gibraltar." Say it is only valued at $50K and someone offered you three-four times that.... you say no, memories, stability, it's your ROCK. They say yes, you sell, and give you what THEY think it's worth...would you be happy?
I had to sell a piece of land that had been in my family for 5 generations because of finances....I would not have sold it at any price had circumstances been different....
Obnoxious is in the eye of the beholder.....
I wouldn't care if she received $1 million for this - she is being forced out of her home by a method that's unconstitutional (except to friggin' socialist judges...) That's simply wrong!
Please! Someone - anyone! I will only be TOO glad to have someone force me out of my home, move it to a different location for me and pay me $300,000 ABOVE the appraised value.
Contact me ASAP and you can have the house within 24 hours! And a NICE Christmas card to boot!
I chose my house because of its location. What if she had a beautiful view? What if she and her husband were married in that house or all her children's memories were in that house. It is a hard thing to give up something that has so many precious memories, no matter the amount of money.
You must live by the philosophy that "money means everything".
Good for you.
If one's homestead is not safe from government seizure, what is?
What would she have gotten if she didn't get involved in a case that was protracted enough to get all the way to SCOTUS?