Brickbat: Dreams Demolished

Andre Hadnot wants to know how it cost the city of Atlanta $700,000 to tear down a two-story building he owned. The city placed a lien on the property for that amount, which is more than three times what Hadnot paid for the property in 2017. The head of the city's code enforcement office said it cost more because it had to be done by hand. Plus, she said, it always costs the city more to do things. No, really. "A single-family dwelling, it will probably cost you $5,000. It would cost the city $15,000. It is always going to cost more," Daphne Talley, head of the code enforcement office, told a local TV station.