One of the numerous failures of the USSC to uphold the constitution and protect citizens from the tyrannical deprevations of government was the 2005 Kelo vs. New London decision. This epic betrayal of Americans by the branch of government set up to specifically shield them from an overreaching government didn't come overnight though. It started back in the early 1900s when the USSC re-interpreted the meaning of 'public use' in the 5th Amendment to mean 'public benefit', which included adding jobs to an area or increasing the communities tax reciepts. This allowed the several states to use the takings clause to abscond private property and then resell it to private developers who would then be able to increase their own business, start a new business, add jobs to the community, or increase the tax reciepts for the community.
The Kelo case of 2005 was the solidification of wealthy business interests to legally steal private citizens property and homes in order to increase their own profit. In arguments of this case, the 4 liberal justices and swing vote justice kennedy claimed to have done a careful and exhausting analysis of Pfizers economic development plan and declared it to be in alignment with the re-interpreted public benefit portion of the 5th amendment by providing jobs, adding tax reciepts to New London, and supposedly cleaning up a 'blighted' environment.
4 years later, Pfizer is announcing that they are closing down their research and development facility in New London. 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.
If there is a lesson from Connecticut's misfortune, it is that economic development that relies on the strong arm of government will never be the kind to create sustainable growth, but I seriously doubt that tax and spend liberals or big business conservatives will care about that, just so long as they still have current law to take peoples property.
Pfizer and Kelo v. City of New London - WSJ.com