In 1954 the Supreme Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. But that same year it also ruled in Berman v. Parker that government’s power of eminent domain could be used to seize property in order to tear down “blighted” areas….Justice Sandra Day O’Connor warned in her Kelo dissent “all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be upgraded.” She added that the decision’s effect is to “wash out any distinction between private and public use of property–and thereby effectively to delete the words ‘for public use’ from the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.”Read the entire editorial here.
Date Archives July 2005
Why do I blog?
I enjoy having an outlet (that may or may not be read by others) where I can exercise my thoughts and my writing skills, skills that need constant attention…. I read this the other day on another local blog; his explanation for blogging is simple and clear, and one that I share.Blogging puts you in the position every sales person wants to be, in direct communication with potential prospects who have a certain degree of confidence in you at a personal level.”With a blog, there is no need for the painfully obvious script that some salesmen use to develop closeness with a prospect…. You can try to put on a different, and better, personality for blogging, but your real personality has a habit of showing through.For those of you who visit regularly, thank you, and I appreciate the time you spend here.
Eminent Domain
In ruling that governments may force homeowners to sell their property for private development, the Supreme Court has created one…. Inflamed by what it sees as a judicial assault on property rights, a Texas House committee unanimously adopted a proposed constitutional amendment Tuesday that would limit when governments could seize private property…. Corte’s constitutional amendment would bar state and local governments from seizing property from one owner and then turning it over to another owner.Locally, Gary Grant, candidate for Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors, has pledged to fight eminent domain abuses.
London
From the OpinionJournal – It is very unlikely that Londoners will behave in the same, frankly craven, way that the Spanish electorate did. A more bloody-minded, visceral, indeed atavistic reaction is the right one to expect from us, and it would be deeply out of character for Londoners to want to appease their tormentors in any way…. If the elderly lady I overheard in a small crowd watching the events on TV through the windows of an electrical goods store in the King’s Road, Chelsea, is anything to go by, the general attitude is: “It’s ridiculous not being able to take trains home.
New listing
I put my new listing on the market today. It really is a great house in a convenient location.
Why should you get Title Insurance? … and what is it, anyway?
A title search should turn up any liens attached to the property, from, say, unpaid construction costs, owed taxes or even outstanding parking tickets. There may be unknown missing heirs that suddenly show up to claim the house or there could be disputes over a will.This situation happened very recently…. The cost of title insurance varies, but can be seemingly expensive at Closing; the cost of independently hiring an attorney and dealing with the IRS would be far more expensive.Read more at the New York Times.
Aargh.
Where are the most secure places to live in America? According to the Farmers Insurance Group, our area is among the top twenty in the country.Wether it’s number one, two, or three on a list for something significant, you’re sure to see the city of Charlottesville.”I feel very safe here in Charlottesville,” said Jessica Kane, a mother of a 2-year old in Charlottesville.Thanks to WCAV.