Private Property Rights

PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS -- (House of Representatives - November 01, 2005)

(Mr. CARTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court of the United States made one of the worst opinions it has ever made in its history in Kelo v. The City of New London when they announced that they would allow other private individuals to use eminent domain to seize private property to enhance tax dollars for a community.

Mr. Speaker, this is a taking of property totally outside of the Constitution of the United States. I have tried hundreds of these cases. No one is happy when their property is taken; but they realize they are taken for schools, it is taken for highways. Even a highway they want, they do not like to see their property taken. But now we have got a law that says that they can come in because it makes more money for a community.

Mr. Speaker, this is an abomination that we will address this week in this House. It is overtime to address it. I urge my colleagues to join hands across the aisle and stop this horrible taking of property that is the result of this Supreme Court activist opinion.

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