Poletown

In the economic doldrums of the late 1970s, the State of Michigan hit on an idea to take over some land it liked and build a car plant which would create jobs and economic benefit. The people who owned the land weren't all that thrilled about the idea, nevertheless, the state persisted. Eventually, the Michigan Supreme Court decided that the taking was a legitimate use of eminent domain for economic benefit. Thirty-seven years later, it didn't turn out to be such a great idea. The State of Indiana argued yesterday that seizing a person's car for doing 5mph over the speed limit was not an "excessive fine." Seriously. That's not a joke. They really argued that. The Supreme Court didn't think that it was funny.