Any cogent thinking human being that voluntarily lives in that swamp up there has it coming to him/her, IMO. The rest are just happy to be victims!
While I don't disagree with your thoughts about New Jersy, what is happening there can happen anywhere. The City Council in my town took a couple of homes for the convenience of a shopping center developer and they have tried twice, in the past year and a half, to blight my neighborhood for its "economic development potential".
My neighborhood is a mix of older homes, smaller homes, and rental property, but everything is very well-kept. The problem is that the City Council thinks they need a larger population base, i.e., more apartments, to keep the downtown area alive and my neighborhood is expendable.
So unless you live in the middle of a typical subdivision, keep an eye on what your local government is doing.