What would you do if you opened your mailbox one day to find a letter from the city or county announcing that you have to move? That land your grandparents worked so hard to till, or for which you struggled so long to purchase is deemed the best land available for a new shopping mall. The appraisers will soon be checking out your home to determine its fair market value and you are expected to vacate.

For a group of homeowners in New London, Connecticut, this nightmare became reality when the city attempted to force them to sell their property to make way for a hotel and other private facilities. In June of 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-to-4 that their local government (and yours) has the power to confiscate private property, not only for public projects like roads and parks, but al…