(USNewsMag.com) – Ford Motor Co., one of the major companies in the US, is planning many building expansions. Nothing, not even the right to property of black farmers in Tennessee, will ever get in the way of the state government’s plans.
Legislators in Tennessee unanimously passed a bill to provide Ford with $884 million worth of incentives for choosing the state. The Megasite Authority of West Tennessee, an 11-member board with development contracting authority, was in the measure. Eminent domain may be used to seize privately held property for building purposes.
Ford unveiled new R&D initiatives, allocating $11.4 billion to increase the output of electric vehicles (EVs). Their plan is to invest $5.6 billion in “BlueOval City,” in Tennessee, where they would produce electric trucks and batteries. Ford said that 5,800 workers will be employed by the venture.
The state intends to confiscate privately held farmland and pay the owners an insignificant sum, much below the land’s true market worth.
The new facility will be accessible by a highway interchange and a road connecting the interchange with BlueOval City. However, the state’s chosen route for the road passes through mostly black-owned farmland.
Tennessee sued the farmer, Ray Jones, for one of his acres of property. The state only awarded Jones $8,165, despite the fact that nearby property goes for $200,000 per acre. It also filed a claim against Marvin Sanderlin for the 10 acres they want, two of which would be taken to make way for the road and eight of which would be cut off from the rest of the property. Only $37,500 was provided to Sanderlin, which works out to $3,750 per acre. According to Sanderlin, a swamp in this area would go for more than $3,500, thus the offer is ridiculously low.
When a state agrees to grant millions to firms earning billions, that’s terrible enough. However, taking property that belongs to individual citizens because the government decides a business should operate there is morally repugnant.
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