The problem is who gets to determine the value of that land. If the government wants you to write software for them for a year, you can protest that you’re a 10x developer deserving millions of dollars all you want, all they need to do is look at your tax return for the last year and pay you double or whatever.

On the other hand, if your family has been living on that ranch and tending that land for hundreds of years, and every generation has contributed to building out and maintaining the homestead, the government can’t properly say “well that derelict lot down the way sold for 100k, we’ll give you 1M and call it fair”.

> But not confiscation by default, in all cases.

They don't (at least, I don't think they do).

I don't know if I said something that you interpreted as "confiscate first", but that was not what I meant.

They can and have. It’s called conscription.