The good and the bad about Kelo

First, the good (and funny): Freestar Media has initiated a redevelopment process in the town of Weare, NH to build a new hotel - on the lot currently occupied by Justice David Souter's house. The press release details the same increased-tax-revenue arguments used by New London, CT against Kelo, et al. Efforts are also underway in at least a few states (CA state senator Tom McClintock is hard at work) and localities to more narrowly define "public use" as it pertains to eminent domain and better protect citizens' private property. This could be just the thing we needed, just like the high-profile Chicago suburb handgun ban that went into effect in 1981 and galvanized thirty-some states to immediately pass legislation prohibiting localities from such bans.

Now, the bad: Radley Balko of TheAgitator.com details some of the eminent domain actions that were waiting in the wings for this decision and have been cranked up within a day or two of the decision coming down. Nice.

I'll end on another good: Also via TheAgitator (same post actually), MSNBC is hosting a poll that as of 2:00pm PST today has 112,323 responses, 98% of which say the Kelo decision was a bad one. 98%!!! I've never seen a public opinion poll that high - this lends credence to the idea that all sides of the political spectrum are incensed by this one. And takes away any credence that the SCOTUS somehow "has its finger on the pulse of public opinion". As if that should mean anything to them anyway, being supposedly bound by the Constitution itself.