Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005),
What does redistributive mean. Well, remember that it was the liberal Left-Wing Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court that brought us this little jewel, holding that the government could take your real property, like your home, not for public use like a road or school, but to give to another private individual, such as a political contributor or other party hack or interest group.
Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another to further economic development. The case arose from the condemnation by New London, Connecticut, of privately owned real property so that it could be used as part of a comprehensive redevelopment plan. The Court held in a 5-4 decision that the general benefits a community enjoyed from economic growth qualified such redevelopment plans as a permissible "public use" under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the majority opinion; he was joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer
The decision was widely criticized by American politicians and the general public. Many members of the general public viewed the outcome as a gross violation of property rights and as a misinterpretation of the Fifth Amendment, the consequence of which would be to benefit large corporations at the expense of individual homeowners and local communities. Some in the legal profession construe the public's outrage as being directed not at the interpretation of legal principles involved in the case, but at the broad moral principles of the general outcome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London
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Leonard Bernstein, Appreciated
Yes, Leonard Bernstein definitely loved two things: music and people ("The Original Culture Warrior," Oct. 27). In the summer of either 1983 or '84, my late husband and I attended the Jones Beach Marine Theater the day before the Fourth of July. Bernstein was conducting the New York Philharmonic, playing a medley of his Broadway hits. At the finale he led the orchestra through the 1812 Overture, with the fireworks synchronized to the music. As is common with venues such as the Jones Beach theater, there was a wide screen showing off Bernstein in all his glory, waving that baton. He was so moved by the reaction of the audience, he had tears running down his cheeks. I have never in my life witnessed anything so moving. Women were crying, men were shouting and whistling. We were all so mesmerized by that magnificent evening.
Ann Difrancisco
Las Vegas, Nev.
It Adds Up for Girls
My only complaint with Sharon Begley's excellent article "Math Is Hard, Barbie Said" (Oct. 27) is its exclusive focus on girls who demonstrate extraordinary natural math ability. Even those girls who have not been singled out as gifted can get really good at math through early exposure to educational toys and books and the encouragement and support of their parents. Many high-school girls who can read all their other textbooks with confidence and understanding will not even attempt to read their math textbook simply because they have never had the experience of self-study in mathematics. Getting our daughters to read age-appropriate math books when they are young will greatly increase their chances of academic success later on, regardless of what our culture expects of them.
Matthew Collins
Barrington, R.I.
Young People and Abstinence
Abstinence-only education ignores the reality facing most young people. As mentioned in "Just Say No to Abstinence Ed" (Oct. 27), 95 percent of Americans are not virgins when they marry, and in 2007, 48 percent of high-school students reported that they had had sexual intercourse. But in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 39 percent of sexually active high-school students did not use a condom the last time they had sex. Not surprising, then, that almost half of all new sexually-transmitted-disease infections occur among people 15 to 24, and 12 percent of all pregnancies occur among those 15 to 19. It is therefore incredibly irresponsible for us as a society not to teach comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education. Evaluations to determine if such programs are working should also be made paramount; otherwise we are being willfully negligent to the future of America's youth and only hoping that things work out for the best. Abstinence should remain part of the curriculum, but it should not be the whole lesson.
Katie Fidler
Portland, Ore.
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