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Comment by mapping365 | Hacker News Reader

Eminent domain is like the the Thanos snap version of state power in a democratic / capitalist country. The ultimate representation of the peoples will over the individuals desire.

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Eminent domain is almost always used to make corporations richer. In other parts of the country, eminent domain is being used to seize people's homes to build AI DCs.

Corporations are the money engines of the government.

I don't know of any other way the government makes money other than riding on the back of corporations.

So yes, from the governments POV, using eminent domain to make corporations richer also has the direct effect of making the government richer.

Just think about it a little bit.

Over 80% of the federal government's revenue comes from individuals (income tax, payroll tax).

On the other hand, I guess the vast majority of politician incomes come from corporations.

And where does that income tax/payroll tax money come from?

~45% of people work for companies of less than 500 people, ~12% for the govrnment (federal, state, local), ~6% are self employed. That leaves less than a half for all the companies >500, and only a tiny minority of them have an outsized influence on politics.

EDIT: Also, if there were no big corporations, people would still work and pay taxes. No sane statesman would purposefully build their countries economy on non-state-controlled megacorps.

No, this is more like checks and balances: the state, the public, and corporations are kept in check when two of them join together to oppose the third.

It feels like this is the first time I've seen the political system move in tune with the public mood in regards to AI and this is public anger finding expression in public policy.

It's kind of strange how the state ("of, by, and for the people") and corporations (comprised of people) are such distinct entities with their own interests. The fact that the state and corporations can and do collude in opposition to the public good is at the heart of so many enormous problems.

> will over the individuals desire.

If you believe corporations are people.

Even billionaires really don't operate as individuals, they are a monster that we've let grow to have unchecked power across the entire federal government.

(note, I may be agreeing with what you're saying I just don't agree with the framing of the "individual") Most of the pushback belongs against the entities that are more powerful than even the federal government at times.)

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