While governments are authorized to invoke eminent domain – the power to take property by force – only when the property is to be employed for public uses, such as highways, schools and courthouse, local governments routinely seize private homes, small businesses or farms and hand them over to wealthy developers who have ‘better plans’ for the property. Abuse of Power explores the widespread exploitation by local officials in the name of the ‘greater good’. The book traces the historical and legal cases that have allowed such abuses to continue and tells the heart wrenching stories of those who have been victimized by the phenomenon. Learn about the many ways homeowners and business owners are fighting back and protecting their rights and about Greenhut’s innovative blueprint for reforms.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A hard-hitting expose of another of Big Brother's tricks...If it doesn't make you grind your teeth, nothing will." -- William A. Rusher - Former publisher of National Review
"Abuse of Power is must read for anyone interested in understanding the pervasive plundering committed by governments across this nation." -- James Bovard - Author, Terrorism and Tyranny Feeling Your Pain, Freedom in Chains & Lost Rights
"Abuse of Power is must read for anyone interested in understanding the pervasive plundering committed by governments across this nation." -- James Bovard - Author, Terrorism and Tyranny Feeling Your Pain, Freedom in Chains & Lost Rights
About the Author
Steven M. Greenhut A former editor for Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Mr. Greenhut is currently a senior editorial writer and columnist for the Orange County Register, Santa Ana, California. He is a widely published commentator who writes extensively about property rights and eminent domain abuses. Greenhut lives with his wife and three daughters in Southern California.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By John Seiler
Your home and business are not safe. Government can grab them at any time using anti-property redevelopment laws, paying you a pittance. Government then can give your property to a private company to develop as a mall or theme park.
That's the frightening story told in "Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain," Steven Greenhut's new book.
An editorial writer for six years with The Orange County Register, his articles have saved the property of thousands of homeowners and hundreds of businesses and churches. The total value of property protected must be more than $100 million.
Greenhut describes how, in Garden Grove, Calif., the city wanted to redevelop the land because a theme park would have paid them mountains of dollars in sales taxes, whereas people living happily in their homes pay much less in property tax. Citizens fought, and won. Citizens in other cities weren't so lucky.
More than just a description of assaults on private property, "Abuse of Power" is a guidebook on how to challenge powerful governments and big businesses.
Chapter 18 is "Fighting Back and Winning." It includes chapters describing: "Build Broad Coalitions," "Go On the Offensive," "Be Positive, Not Just Reactive," "Don't Lose Sight of Principles" and "Keep it Simple."
The book ends with lists of organizations and Web sites to help wage the fight and 417 footnotes.
"Abuse of Power" is a manifesto for taking back the right to property ownership. As Greenhut says, property rights are human rights.
That's the frightening story told in "Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain," Steven Greenhut's new book.
An editorial writer for six years with The Orange County Register, his articles have saved the property of thousands of homeowners and hundreds of businesses and churches. The total value of property protected must be more than $100 million.
Greenhut describes how, in Garden Grove, Calif., the city wanted to redevelop the land because a theme park would have paid them mountains of dollars in sales taxes, whereas people living happily in their homes pay much less in property tax. Citizens fought, and won. Citizens in other cities weren't so lucky.
More than just a description of assaults on private property, "Abuse of Power" is a guidebook on how to challenge powerful governments and big businesses.
Chapter 18 is "Fighting Back and Winning." It includes chapters describing: "Build Broad Coalitions," "Go On the Offensive," "Be Positive, Not Just Reactive," "Don't Lose Sight of Principles" and "Keep it Simple."
The book ends with lists of organizations and Web sites to help wage the fight and 417 footnotes.
"Abuse of Power" is a manifesto for taking back the right to property ownership. As Greenhut says, property rights are human rights.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
As someone who has worked on the other side of the table in eminent domain for government agencies for over 20-years, allow me to unhesitatingly endorse Orange County Register columnist Steven Greenhut's book Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain. For this book to be authored by a journalist is unusual because, while it is an expose mainly of the abuses of condemnation, on many aspects it reflects an insider's knowledge of the eminent domain game. Any good journalist knows the formula for writing a popular book -- champion the little guy against big government or large corporations. But Greenhut's book is not just another tale of victimology meant only to make money selling books. There are entire shelves of popular books out there that make out some bug or plant as the victim of development as an excuse to steal someone's property. There are many guidebooks to help government agencies in taking property for redevelopment projects that short change the small property owner because there isn't enough money at stake to hire an attorney or appraiser. There are innumerable regulations that can invisibly transfer the bulk of the value of vacant land for the benefit of others without just compensation. Greenhut's book is an antidote to all the above. It is a highly readable 300 pages with 417 endnotes and a helpful list of resource organizations for property owners. Greenhut is on to something big - really big -- in his book. Government property acquisitions for redevelopment projects are predicated on the buy low - sell high principle to make the project pencil out. Greenhut points out the upsidedown definition of "blight" in redevelopment projects as the absence of something, namely tax-producing commercial development, not the presence of slums or hazardous conditions. Thus blight becomes the absence of what Peter can gain at Paul's expense, not the presence of something owned by Peter that hurts Paul. Conversely, there are abuses by hired gun lawyers and attorneys on behalf of property owners at the expense of the public. But the Constitution was meant to protect the small property owner from the abuses of government. The large property owners, developers, monopoly utility companies, and public agencies have their armies of lawyers and appraisers. The small business owner, vacant land owner, the small church or synagogue, or widow is often left defenseless against the predations of government. But now they have Greenhut and his book. It has taken someone with the coincidental name of Greenhut (green=money; hut=house) to expose the "milk-cow" system of eminent domain that feeds lawyers, appraisers, judges, developers, and monopoly utility companies and railroads at the expense of the property owner -- that is unless they have the wherewithal to fight. This book gives them that wherewithal. Property owners need to read it; government agencies should heed it; attorneys should feed it to their clients; academics need it for their classes; and the media should learn to lead with it.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By LOVE
Author does a fantastic job of documenting cases where city council members and local governments propose a dime on the dollar to take private property in order to allow big business to add taxes to their pockets. No accountability! Small property owners do not generally have the money to hire the right lawyers to fight the system and are often overcome by eminent domain abuses of the local government. Without a lawyer, it is hard to know the law well enough to fight local government abuse of power. Books like this one can highlight what should be a great bipartisan case to protect average citizens like us.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Right-wing libertarian bias and lousy legal analysis undermine fight...
Fighting the abuse of eminent domain law is an important goal; but that goal will not be well-served by this book. Read more
Published on July 6, 2010 by FRANCIS PETTIT
5.0 out of 5 stars
Force annexation and abuse of power
i live in Lexington NC and they are using forced annexation to force many hundreds of poor people our of their homes.
Lexingtontruth. Read more
Lexingtontruth. Read more
Published on September 16, 2008 by john of art
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful and Shocking
This book is powerful, succinct, and full of examples and recent cases. It will blow your mind and hopefully, if you have a soul, it will wrench it. Read more
Published on September 4, 2006 by Martha Montelongo Myers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Supreme Court Steps In
Kelo, et al v New Haven, Conn. will be heard by the Supreme Court this session. New Haven is attempting to condemn a series of properties and LEASE the land to a developer for 99... Read more
Published on October 4, 2004 by Linda Iwaniw
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