It has only recently become clear in the U.S. that federal law permits the use of eminent domain to help private parties do economic development. Have a read th

It has only recently become clear in the U.S. that federal law permits the use of eminent domain to help private parties do economic development. Have a read through the Supreme Court case Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005), which is a totally approachable decision ( http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=04-108 http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&#3... ). Civil libertarians were not thrilled by Kelo and some have pushed for state or local laws that prohibit the use of eminent domain for private parties to engage in economic development. So, taking someone's land to build a shopping center may not be legal in some cities or states. See also the Lost Liberty Hotel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Liberty_Hotel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Liberty_Hotel), a proposed hotel to be built on David Souter's land as a better source of economic development for the community than his house. For a good time, drive to New London some time and check out the land that was under dispute in Kelo. It's still a sad, empty, vacant lot — although the Supreme Court allowed a developer to seize the land, they ended up deciding not to develop.