Tom the Dancing Bug by Ruben Bolling for July 16, 2005
Transcript:
Tom the Dancing Bug by Ruben Bolling LUCKY DUCKY The Poor Little Duck Who's Rich In Luck! Hound: Low tax rates! Food stamps! Impoverished duck gets all the luck! Hound: There must be SOME advantage a rich guy like me can get! Hound: Aha! The takings clause! I'll get Lucky Ducky with the Constitution! Thus - Hound: Open up, you free-loading water fowl! BAM! BAM! Lucky Ducky: What's up, bub? Hound: I'm BUYING your HOME! Lucky Ducky: Huh? Hound: I'm building my new office complex right here! Judge: Yes, it's for a "public use"! Skunk: Think of the tax revenue! Hound: You were WASTING this property, just sitting here LIVING on it! Hound: Hey, what's this? Lucky Ducky: My family photo album. Hound: Here's a couple of bucks. I'm buying this too. DUCKY FAMILY Lucky Ducky: ? Hound: I'll sell it for scrap paper! Skunk: Creating tax revenue! Judge: Public use! Hound: What are you smirking about? You're homeless! Lucky Ducky: Yes, but now I can afford to eat! Plus... Lucky Ducky: That judge you're touching is a LIBERAL! Hound: Yiiii! Lucky Ducky: Gotcha! End
Can a city give your home to a private developer? In 2005, the Supreme Court said yes.
By Timothy B. Leetim@vox.com Jun 23, 2015, 3:20pm EDT
https://www.vox.com/2015/6/23/8833847/kelo-property-supreme-court
"… The jobs and tax revenue the city of New London predicted never materialized. After the real estate market turned sour in 2008, the city couldn’t find anyone interested in developing the land that had once held Kelo’s house. Today, the site is an empty field, providing no jobs to anyone.
“Meanwhile, Pfizer left New London in 2010, a year before generous tax breaks by the city were scheduled to expire.”