Abuse of Power—How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain
Steven Greenhut
Seven Locks Press 2004 http://prfamerica.org/bookreviews/BookReviewAbuseOfPower.html
A quote from Aristotle, “We make war that we may live in peace” introduces the last chapter. Greenhut notes that the first reaction to abuse is despair, but despair should not be allowed to last long. The key to success is to not feel overwhelmed by the powerful forces. Four main approaches that have yielded success are identified.
The first — community organizing,
the second — adopting a legal strategy,
the third — political,
the fourth revolves around the media!
Some of the success stories are reviewed in detail, including:
“Illinois Stops One Stop Shopping,”
“California Dreaming,”
“The Constitution State Rediscovers the Constitution,”
“Colorado Supremes Slap Down Wal-Mart,”
“The Way From San Jose,”
“Atlantic City Officials Gambled and Lost.”
Much is to be learned from these anecdotes. Greenhut concludes with the “Organizing ABCs” — Build Broad Coalitions, Go On the Offensive, and Be Positive, Not Just Reactive, Know What You Want to Do, Don’t Lose Sight of Principle, Keep It Simple.
