Underestimating long-term consequences of cryptoanarchy

[ken]

Tim May wrote:

> This private toll road would be very hard to build in any other place, 
> as the ownership of the large tract of undeveloped land made it 
> possible. Private developers rarely are granted eminent domain (seizure 
> of lands or property for the people's democratic socialist use) and it 
> is virtually impossible to conceive of a developer acquiring rights of 
> way for a highway through thousands of farms, houses, ranches, schools, 
> shops, etc.
> 
> (I know about auctions, but there are some markets that don't "clear." 
> There are people who simply refuse to sell. Even when The Donald (Trump) 
> sought to build a casino in Atlantic City there was one parcel owner who 
> refused to sell. Once the state of NJ refused to condemn the property to 
> give it to the Donald, he built _around_ it on three sides.)

Always fun when this happens.    In my home town, Brighton in England, a 
company with the unfortunate name of "GRIP" bought about 8 or 9 old 
houses to build an office. One old woman  wouldn't sell, she wanted to 
carry on living in her own house, so until she died it was stuck in the 
middle of a steel and glass office block, propped up by big wooden beams.

As you say, when the government wants to build something, it usually 
passes a law to kick out such recalcitrant old ladies. Except that 
somehow railway companies - and before them the canals, this goes back 
to the 18th century - always managed to get the government on their side.