Another blow against property rights

Now if this is not another example of judicial activism, I don't know. I guess property rights are non-existent in America.

A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights. The 5-4 ruling represented a defeat for some Connecticut residents whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex. They argued that cities have no right to take their land except for projects with a clear public use, such as roads or schools, or to revitalize blighted areas.

As a result, cities now have wide power to bulldoze residences for projects such as shopping malls and hotel complexes in order to generate tax revenue. This is much the same story as in Ontario, where well connected developers and greedy local politicians can trample the property rights of its citizens. Where men do not have the rights to the fruits of their labour, they are not truely free.