It is said that “a chain is as strong as its weakest link”. We all know what a chain looks like, therefore it is easy to visualize and understand. Replace the chain with something that is abstract, like a right or ownership, you know what they are and can describe what they mean but you can’t visualize them. Then apply the concept of a weak link and imagine how it would erode the rights you have. Except now the link isn’t a single item but rather a whole host of things merrily chipping away at your rights and property.
Tom Deweese joins us On The Commons. Tom is the founder and president of the Virginia based American Policy Center, a speaker, a passionate advocate for property rights and an author. Tom has written several books, his newest book, Sustainable: The War on Free Enterprise, Private Property and Individuals. In a clear and easy to understand way, he explains how, we have lost rights and freedoms over the years. In order to put things in context I ask Tom why property rights matter If you thought it is so you can paint your from door any color you choose, that’s the least of it. Click on the link for a free, downloadable pamphlet, tune in to the show and hear Tom discuss some the issues, read the book and decide to do your bit to salvage what is left of your and your children’s rights.
This interview was recorded and broadcast earlier.
Byron Hanke is largely credited with being the grandfather of what we often refer to as “homeowner associations”. But this concept of homeownership includes condominiums, co-ooperatives as well as fee simple single family homes. As I started looking at the bigger picture of HOAs, I wondered about the origins of the concept. I called Byron Hanke several times and talked to him on the phone. He never agreed to be interviewed but was generous with his time when it came to talking one on one. In October of 1999 I got a call from Lincoln Cummins, one of the three founders of CAI and its second President, inviting me to a summit to be held at at Anne and Byron’s house in a place called “Scientists Cliffs” in Maryland. Scientists Cliffs served as a model for HOAs.
Lincoln Cummings joins us On The Commons this week. Linc has been involved from the very beginning so has a unique perspective. He takes us on a trip down memory lane to the very early days of association housing, introduces us to the people involved and talks a little about the thoughts and plans they had. We’ll find out whether or not their ideas materialized as imagined or whether some things went astray. We’ll also ask Linc, hindsight being 20/20, if he could go back to the very beginning, would he do anything differently.
