I think you are the one in the 19th century box, private toll roads and bridges went out in the 20's. What you seem to advocate is the ability of a single individual to become a financial hold out and make unreasonable profit even to bankrupt a project, sort of like the EPA does now.
I think Kelo was clearly wrong but you can thank corrupt politicians and crony capitalists not individuals that know they benefit from the development of common use facilities such as roads and bridges. It is not a perfect system but man is fallible and shite happens when people are involved but some sort of compromise is always require to move forward.
I can remember as a youngster we had 25 cycle electricity so our radios, washers and anything electric other than light bulbs, would not work the next town over that is the kind of thing that can happen when there is not some sort of standards and eminent domain is required to make that possible. The 25 cycle was courtesy of Eagle Picher mining company.
They're back, or haven't you noticed?
What you seem to advocate is the ability of a single individual to become a financial hold out and make unreasonable profit even to bankrupt a project, sort of like the EPA does now.
Wouldn't happen with a functioning options market, as I already explained.
I think Kelo was clearly wrong.
Constitutionally it was correct per the Tenth Amendment. As a matter of justice to the Kelo family it was a travesty. You can read more about that, particularly as regards selective incorporation here. The problem is that when any law is defined and enforced by the FedGov, there is only ONE way it is defined and enforced. With Federalism, we get to find out how better to manage the principle.
I can remember as a youngster we had 25 cycle electricity
Yup, you're a late-19th-early 20th Century guy all righty. Consider "go metric." You know who killed it? It wasn't Americans. When the world aircraft industry found out what the cost to THEM would be, the whole thing died. Once computerized equipment was available, it really didn't matter from a manufacturing perspective any more and the costs of conversion then outweighed the benefits. Consider too the differences between 22VAC 50Hz power and our 110VAC at 60Hz. These days the electronics can deal with either. Same with motors and variable frequency electronic drives. So this idea that universal standards are some kind of advantage is wildly oversold these days.