Political Quotes

“let me express my agreement with the expressions of the Senator from Wyoming that this is an excellent amendment. But I hope it is a reflection of the sentiment of the Senate that public policy well ought to recognize the right of private property owners and inholders in the ability for them to utilize in responsible ways their property instead of the very dictatorial way that we have allowed to go forward. We have records replete with horror stories of Federal bureaucrats operating in very, very heavy-handed ways as it relates to the right of the private property owner effectively and responsibly, within the context of scenic values and all of those kinds of things, to manage their property, to do what this amendment allows to be done in a responsible way. I hope if I were to come with a similar amendment in behalf of the citizens of Idaho, who find themselves locked in these kinds of circumstances --and in several instances it has occurred and I have had to go to the issue and to the agency and ask them to back away from the little black book that some of their folks on the ground use to play this ``I am more powerful than thee on your private land'' attitude--I hope this will be a reflection of a growing sentiment in the U.S. Congress that private property owners have legitimate and responsible rights under our Constitution.”