Eminent domain Literature & Language Research Paper

The Significance of the Government's Eminent Domain Student’s Name
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Eminent Domain
Eminent domain is the power vested in the government to acquire lands from private owners for public benefit. Eminent domain has been a significant source of controversy over the years. Several defensive facts have been established in defense of eminent domain; however, these opinions are based on concepts that violate individual freedom value. Moreover, eminent domain is unethical since it predominantly deprives the poor of their rights, the needy, and other underprivileged society members. This power violates the right to private property ownership. The 5th amendment of the United States Constitution provides that personal property shall not be possessed for public use without just compensation (Source A). Furthermore, eminent domain was established with a good intention to benefit the public before exploitation by private corporations. Historically the federal government applied the power of eminent domain to support transportation, supply water, construct public buildings, and assist in defense readiness (Source A). However, presently there is sufficient land set aside for the benefit of the public. What is the necessity of continuous evacuation of people of their private land?
When the power of eminent domain is misused, most families are displaced at the expense of economic growth (Source B). Moreover, local governments might use this power to eliminate impoverished communities to attract investment to an area. For instance, in Detroit, a manufacturing hub displaced several people with an attempt to reinstate position. The manufacturing hub displaced "Some 4000 people and numerous businesses to transfer the property to General Motors for the construction of a new factory" (Source C). Such incidences lead to detrimental societal impacts. For instance, most families will lack homes to live in and hence struggle to find new homes. Simultaneously, the authorities might spend more income to attract a significant Corporation while imposing low taxes to entice it. Generally, when eminent domain is misused, it neither accrues benefits for the government nor the public but instead individuals looking to benefit. Furthermore, the company taking the place of displaced homes may fail to prosper. A good example is the case study of New London Development Corporation in Connecticut, where a neighborhood is converted into a "vast empty filled 90 acres that were entirely uninhabited" (Source B). Moreover, authorities may also apply eminent domain in creating job opportunities at the expense of generating new systems for public benefit. The power vested in the government to possess privately owned land may be retrogressive rather than progressive.
In most cases, when the government intervenes to ensure but low-income areas have access to the basic amenities, the ...