by F.R. Duplantier
"Property is power. If the government owned or controlled all the property, it would possess all the power."
The League of Private Property Voters periodically releases an index recording Congressional votes relating to property rights and rating our elected representatives according to their respect for private property. "There was a major change in Congress in 1994 and private property rights continued to grow as a major political issue during the first half of the 104th Congress," reports the League. "Consequently, more and more politicians climbed on the bandwagon and proclaimed steadfast support of property rights." In their 1995-96 Private Property Vote Index, recording 15 House votes and 10 Senate votes, the League documents "a dramatic improvement in the House of Representatives, with a modest gain in the Senate in the 104th Congress. Private property rights were a significant part of the Contract With America in the House," the League explains. "However, the Senate slowed progress down significantly."
The change of party control in Congress brought "many more private property advocates into committee chairmanships and other positions of power. However, there was a powerful split between Western private property advocates and Eastern representatives, who generally have a lower awareness of the vital nature of private property rights." The League reports that the House and Senate passed bills restricting the use of unfunded mandates, thereby slowing "the massive increase in Federal regulations which invariably lead to 'taking' private property rights. But in the area of regulatory reform, risk assessment, private property rights, and wetlands compensation, fast House action was faced with a stonewall in the Senate."
The League contends that there is "a groundswell of support to reform the Endangered Species Act and Section 404 wetlands regulations," but warns that "the Green advocacy groups have mounted a well-financed counter offensive with great success."
The League argues that "secure and enforceable property rights are necessary for civil order. When property ownership becomes vague and unsettled, strife and social breakdown soon follow." The League notes that "our free market economy is based on secure and enforceable property rights." They point out that "private property is what allows people to pursue their own goals, independent of the state or society." Contrary to what many people think, private property rights are also necessary for the protection of the environment. "When people own resources in common, they take as much as they can as quickly as they can," the League observes. "Many of the professional environmental pressure groups often deny the crucial role of property rights in protecting the environment. That is because political power means more to them than the health of the environment."
The League points out that "our system of limited government, including our constitutional rights, survives because of the widespread ownership of property." If it were not for this widespread ownership, "our constitutional rights would become mere paper rights, unenforceable against an all-powerful government. That is why the protection of private property rights should concern all Americans, whether they own property or not."
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