Political Quotes

“as a former judge and now a Member of Congress, I rise today to protest the attack on individual private property rights contained in the recent Supreme Court decision Kelo v. City of New London. Following the Court's logic, nothing can stop a local government from replacing a church with a Wal-Mart, or a family farm with a shopping mall, because these will produce greater tax revenues for the government in charge. Private property ownership is vital to both our freedom and our prosperity. The Kelo decision now puts every home and every business owner on notice that their property may be taken by the government at any time. This is not the American way, Mr. Speaker. The Court's decision is an abdication of its responsibility to protect individual property rights, and it is a gross misinterpretation of the Constitution. As we approach our Nation's Day of Independence, we should be concerned about protecting our freedoms, not curtailing them. A just and wise government values individual ownership and protects it. Mr. Speaker, it is a sad day. Our Nation is built on many, many important tenets, and protection of private property is certainly not the least of them. ____________________”