re: My first "I hate roads" Thread of 2017 (Trigger Warning: Meme Inside)

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So you want to hand over eminent domain to private companies to build roads? Where would that go wrong?

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Loaded question much?

Nobody has said anything about giving the power of the state to a private company to build roads.

Because that wouldn't be private roads, would it?

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if you couldn't secure the right of way, then you don't get to build the road

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Novel concept.


I'll take it.

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That being said, I don't see how the taxpayers simply hand money to private companies. Some entity has to collect the funds.

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Well, by contract with a collections agency, the government can't swoop in and re allocate those funds to their personal pet projects.

I'm encouraged, phase out government, and hire a financial agency to handle collections and distributions of money.

Hmmm, MAYBE the taxpayers could vote for someone to organize their money, evaluate companies, make a coherent plan for the city, and make the executive decision?

I wonder what you'd call that.

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I wonder what you'd call that.

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Private companies

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You do understand that without eminent domain, building any infrastructure would be impossible.

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that is not true

it would just cost more, possibly

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that is not true

it would just cost more, possibly

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So all you have to do is offer more money to people, and they will let you have their land to build infrastructure?

Like, if you wanted to expand a parking lot for a hotel, and a little old lady had a claptrap house, say in Jersey, all you would have to do is offer her a couple million more than its worth and presto, you have your infrastructure?

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So all you have to do is offer more money to people, and they will let you have their land to build infrastructure?

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well i mean everyone has a number

since we're talking in hypothetical, if somebody offered $1B for the right of way on your land, that would be accepted 100% of the time

now this would increase the cost of this road dramatically i'm sure, but we're just talking in hypothetical. since you said "impossible", i'm allowed to get extreme myself and prove that it's not "impossible". it's the opposite: it's guaranteed (assuming infinite money exists)

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False. But I like your matter of fact approach to the issue!

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There will always, ALWAYS be someone who refuses to sell.

I get that in your precious fantasy, everyone would act rationally, the whole theorethical town gets together, and votes that yes, we need to build a road from mainstreet to 5th street, we need it badly. But Mary Ann Persimmon owns a house in the way, and she won't sell, no amount of money will make her sell, it's her dead aunt's property, and even though the town voted, she won't sell.

Then you never get the road.

This happens every time even WITH Eminent Domain.