One other thing . . . .
Eminent Domain isn't anything new, just about every State and Local Government makes use of this practice. If they didn't, then one or two people could screw the Government or a Business concern by holding out for a grossly inflated amount. Do you realize how hard it is for a Community to put together the volume of land required for this plant? It's obviously a boon to the area in terms of taxes and employment.
In the US, the Government is "The People." The elected officials look out for the big picture. They are their to make sure that the actions of Government serve the public good. As long as the price for the land is determined using sound assessments, emminent domain is called for here.
I found this Passage particularly telling . . .
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But, it was Burns who determined that nine black landowners – for their combined 175 acres purchased at barely $3 million, did not deserve more than Dinkins alone got for his 73 acres and timber at $4.4 million.
The mention of timber leads me to believe that there is more to this story than meets the eye. If the residents who received $24,500 per acre owned pasture and Dinkins owned land that was covered with trees that could be or were being harvested, then his property would be worth more. But they don't say directly.
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While it is not about the money for the Archies and Bouldins, they are clearly not stupid about the true value of their land and homes. And the state also now knows it. These landowners are in court fighting to force eminent domain off the table on behalf of every landowner seeking justice, fairness, and equity.
Nope, they're not stupid . . . they probably made a killing. And they don't want the courts to decide that they should get $60,000 per acre . . . they want to dismantle emminent domain. They probably didn't want to leave or are angry because they couldn't "squeeze" Nissan.
I'm skeptical of this story, it plays on the emotions of others and doen't tell yje whole dtory I'd wager.