Pfizer and Kelo's Ghost Town

WSJ Opinion Journal ^ | 11/11/9

[Clint Williams]

The Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London stands as one of the worst in recent years, handing local governments carte blanche to seize private property in the name of economic development. Now, four years after that decision gave Susette Kelo's land to private developers for a project including a hotel and offices intended to enhance Pfizer Inc.'s nearby corporate facility, the pharmaceutical giant has announced it will close its research and development headquarters in New London, Connecticut.

The aftermath of Kelo is the latest example of the futility of using eminent domain as corporate welfare. While Ms. Kelo and her neighbors lost their homes, the city and the state spent some $78 million to bulldoze private property for high-end condos and other "desirable" elements. Instead, the wrecked and condemned neighborhood still stands vacant, without any of the touted tax benefits or job creation.

That's especially galling because the five Supreme Court Justices cited the development plan as a major factor in rationalizing their Kelo decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy called the plan "comprehensive," while Justice John Paul Stevens insisted that "The city has carefully formulated a development plan that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including, but not limited to, new jobs and increased tax revenue." So much for that.

...

[alloysteel]

So does this mean that Susette Kelo may get her land back?

Or is this somewhat like unbreaking an egg?

[rhema]

Kelo's silver lining has been that it transformed eminent domain from an arcane government power into a major concern of voters who suddenly wonder if their own homes are at risk. According to the Institute for Justice, which represented Susette Kelo, 43 states have since passed laws that place limits and safeguards on eminent domain, giving property owners greater security in their homes.

[mysterio]

Kelo was a terrible decision.

[ctyankee00]

They could use Fort Trumbull - it overlooks the seized neighborhood and the Pfizer campus and has the requisite Revolutionary aura that would help to emphasize the point.

Pfizer is a good example of what the elites have planned for us worker bees. All decisions made at the top and all workers follow specific, controlled documentation to do their jobs; no decision-making required nor desired.

[Vendome]

And why is the takings clause so important?

cuz government employees ain’t that smart.