Research 1.25.09

From what it seems to me, eminent domain has been applied to most societies from the days of the Bible to modern America. It was originally used for the sole purpose of appropriating property for public use, for instance, taking property from a family for the use of a highway, bridge and other governmental uses. The newest version is that of using eminent domain for the use of private use. This is bringing about the idea of eminent domain abuse. Governments are taking properties from owners and giving them to companies that have provided compensation to the government for the expropriation of the property. The companies are then in turn using the property for their own financial gain and there really is no "public" use.