You seem to be missing my point, P-M.
If they take your property because WalMart can build a box store there and bring in a lot of taxes and provide a hundred jobs or so, there is only one question to ask.
Is WalMart a government entity?
If it is then it is a PUBLIC use. If it isn't, then the government is simply transferring property to a more preferred private or corporate entity.
I've been fighting with liberals and found that your post is explanatory enough...that they would finally understand.
Public use is a vague term. I believe that any purchase of property for a redevelopment plan is, in fact, a purchase for a public use regardless of how the land is later used -- as long as it is used in accordance with that plan. 99 times out of 100 these redevelopment plans are submitted for public comment before they are passed and the public has a right to speak out. The public also has a right to threaten to vote out any official who votes for such a plan. But as a general rule these plans benefit the public at large and thus I think that these plans in many cases have saved entire towns from ruin -- especially in the cases in which land was taken to implement a plan in which a large factory needs to be erected and land is needed to implement it.
One problem that you have is that when you discuss facilities like Wal Mart that under the first amendment facilities like Wal Mart have been determined to be public arenas and Wal Mart is prohibited from infringing upon the free speech rights of people who gather at their front doors. The same goes for Malls. So in essence, even though they are on private property, they function as a public gathering place.
The fact of the matter is that it is unseemly and may even seem unfair that the government can develop an economic plan and then condemn your house and sell the land to someone who will agree to implement that plan, but the constitution does not guarantee that all laws will be fair. It does, however, require that just compensation be given for any property it takes. And if you don't like the reasons why your local government is taking your land or your neighbor's land you are not without recourse. You can vote the bums out.