2 - "[A] law that takes property from A. and gives it to B: It is against all reason and justice, for a people to entrust a Legislature with such powers and, therefore, it cannot be presumed that they have done it." Calder v. Bull, 1798. Given more than two centuries of public policy it's difficult to comprehend the radical nature of the just-decided Supreme Court decision, Kelo et al v. City of New London. The Kelo case is about the right of government to seize your home under the "taking" clause of the Fifth Amendment. Under the Fifth Amendment, government can acquire private property for public use, but not "without just compensation." The point the Founding Fathers tried to make was this: Unlike other countries where your home could be taken away at the whim of government, the U.S. would be different. Here private property ownership was a right that government was required to respect. In just a few words the Fifth Amendment provides a logical and reasoned balance of interests. Government, on rare occasion, may need to acquire private property for public use. Read this Nemmar Real Estate Training article at Laws, Lawyers, Deeds, Building Codes, Zoning