Silver linings: Susette Kelo vs. City of New London

In 2005, the fascist wing of the Supreme Court (Stevens, Bader Ginsburg, Souter, Kennedy, Breyer) ruled that local governments could use eminent domain to steal people's houses to give to politically-connected developers.

On that terrible day, Susette Kelo lost her little pink house and we all lost a little liberty.

Today, things are looking a little better. Many state legislatures have restricted eminent domain against this kind of abuse. Susette Kelo has a new home in a nearby town. And the greedy city thugs and developers have not profited. The Wall Street Journal tells us:

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.

And to top it off, Pfizer, whose new facility started the land grab, has said hasta la vista and plans to shut down its R&D facility there, moving 1400 jobs out of town. Ironically, Pfizer is moving to Groton, just across the bay, where Susette Kelo lives after New London drove her out of town. And now New London has Susette's vacant plot of land and Pfizer's vacant buildings.

Karma's a bitch, scumbags!

More detail on how New London regrets its crimes at the Examiner.