Protect Citizens' Property Rights
Kucinich gave the following speech in Congress on November 3, 3005:
Speaking in support of H.R. 4128, the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005, Congressman Kucinich said:
"Mr. Chairman, the question before us today is not really whether we agree or disagree with the Supreme Court's interpretation of the term 'public use,' but, rather, who we stand with and what we stand for. Do we stand with large private developers or with ordinary private citizens? Do we stand for government assistance for the powerful economic interests, at the expense of ownership of small interests?
"Let it be clear, this debate is about condemnation of property. Will we condemn our constituents by allowing their land to be taken without just cause? Will we condemn small business owners by allowing their stores to be removed simply because a big developer has a different idea for what the economy should look like? Or will we stand with our constituents and condemn the idea that their property can be sacrificed for the sake of a big corporate company's development plans?
"The Declaration of Independence holds that all people are endowed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Supreme Court's Kelo decision would limit the right to the pursuit of happiness to large corporate developers at the expense of small businesses and private citizens.
"We must take a stand today and reaffirm the unalienable rights of citizens and stand for our constituents and declare that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, and we cannot and will not take that right away.
"I urge my colleagues to join me in standing with our constituents to support this bill."
[Ed. note: H.R. 4128 was agreed to by recorded vote: 376 - 38 (Roll No. 568).]
Subscribe to this blog's feed