There is something to say that the US gives high priority to individual rights and private property owners. A big part of why developing countries can build so

There is something to say that the US gives high priority to individual rights and private property owners. A big part of why developing countries can build so quickly is by steamrolling citizens who aren't politically connected. In China, they simply force everyone to move and bulldoze huge swaths of existing real estate to build new highways and trains. I agree the pendulum is too far in the wrong direction here. But if my city told me I had to move because they were destroying my whole neighborhood to put in a new train, I would be livid - "I thought this was America!" It would take an enormous sum of money - many times over what my property is worth on paper - to make me feel properly compensated for all of the memories, sentimental value, and how much I like my neighborhood.