When did the term public come to mean private buildings such as bars, resturaunts, clubs, ect?

Question

I know that with the expansion of eminent domain laws, the government thinks they own all private property, but to mean the term public means places that are owned by the government, such as courthouses and government owned parks. When did the words private vs. public get blurred in the eyes of Americans?

Answer 1

Ahh, Liberals at their best. Don't know how else to sum that up.

Answer 2

It all depends on the context. A home is a private building in almost all settings, but when dealing with businesses that are open to the public, such as bars and restaurants, although they are privately owned, they are public in the sense of access.

This becomes an issue when dealing with certain aspects of the law, such as accommodations for people with disabilities. If you are a business that is open to the public, you may be required to make the place of business handicap accessible.

If you are talking about privacy from photos, etc. then the streets, and places open to public business are considered public places under the particular statutes. Eminent domain does not have anything to do with these distinctions, and it also does not mean that the government thinks they own everything.

Eminent domain is the process whereby the government purchases private property from the owner in order to build something that is reasonably related to a rational public purpose. True the marked distinctions for the allowable purposes of eminent domain takings has changed with the jurisprudence, but it does not blur the line between the public/private distinction in ownership.

Answer 3

Public does not necessarily mean owned by the government. It means open to the public. Like a restaurant. And eminent domain does not mean that the government thinks they own all private property. it means they can claim it, with due compensation, to achieve a public good, like putting a bypass through, or building a new school.

Answer 4

The places you describe (bars, etc) are privately owned, but they are public places. Public, in this case, means a place where a substantial portion of the public has access. Anybody can walk into a bar or a restaurant. That is what is meant by public.

One of my instructors in the police academy said that the best way to determine if a place was public or private was if you could have sex (not his word choice) there and not get arrested, it is private. If you would get arrested for having sex there, it is a public place.

Answer 5

It is a privately owned but it is open to the public.

Answer 6

It simply means that they are open to the general public and
anyone / everyone can enter...
As opposed to private buildings where the general public is not
allowed....Private / members only clubs etc..
But I do understand and agree with your point...

Answer 7

LOL Jim can never die... He rode the dragon outta hea!!!!!! PS: If it makes you feel better, he supposedly died in france, and nobody ever saw his body. Just a closed casket, and a death certificate. I always thought he went and lived with a tribe somewhere. He loathed being famous. I read his biography, not even his wife saw the body. So...you never know!!

Answer 8

When they wanted to take away rights and rule everyone's private lives.

Answer 9

When the developers starting running things.

Answer 10

This is a great question.
The 'government' always twists declarations, laws or whatever to suit its agenda.

Answer 11

When the government found something else they could control.