that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence." Adams must have been another idealist wrapped in cynic's clothing. In a letter from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, two other noted anti-progressives, which said: "Persons and property make the sum of the objects of government."

Elected officials who stand on the side of property owners will find themselves in pretty good company. Our founding fathers recognized all too well the vindictive system of belief of "Divine Right" where Kings claimed power and authority only to produce serfdoms and class division. The American Revolution was very much about "Liberty and Property." In fact, the original phrase about our God given inalienable rights was "life, liberty and property." The phrase "the pursuit of happiness" was unmistakably connected with property. Those patriots were ahead of their times understanding that there could be no true liberty or pursuit of happiness without freedom from government domination in the owning of private property.

History has taught us that governments that promote and defend private property have flourished. In oppressive governments, property rights are among the earliest rights taken away from citizens. Normally the strategy is two-fold: 1) Raise taxes to where owning property is a luxury the average citizen can ill afford. 2) Seize property under the guise of eminent domain to improve public welfare, create jobs, economic benefit, to help improve the quality of life or some similar reason. Eminent domain is the power of the government to take private property belonging to its citizens. In the famous McCulloch vs. Maryland case from 1819, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall wrote: "The power to tax is the power to destroy." One can only imagine what Justice Marshall might write about eminent domain.

Ask yourself, do we really want government which can easily claim ownership of private property? Should high property taxes and eminent domain really operate under the premise that the citizen is

simply renting the property? Is this good for our society? High property taxes will keep citizens from investing in improvements and additions which also prevent money from flowing back into the economy. Through property taxes and eminent domain, are families being deprived of their inheritance? The liberals' great ally Karl Marx suggested the theory of Communism could be summed up in one sentence: "Abolish all private property."

How can we protect private property rights?

The counter argument of course is that taxes are a necessary evil we pay to live in a modern world. Most state constitutions permit private property to be condemned for "public use." Eminent domain is supposedly a last resort used by government to achieve a greater public good that benefits the entire community. Traditionally, governments utilized eminent domain so that property could be taken for things like roads, schools, and public buildings. Gradually we have witnessed local governments increasingly starting to use eminent domain in order to transfer land to other private parties, often outside the sunshine of public scrutiny. Elected leaders must do a better job protecting the property rights of our citizens at every level of our government.

If eminent domain is so critical for a community to achieve a greater public good to benefit the public; it is obvious that government leaders need to give adequate time for proper input, have a very thorough review process, and pay a satisfactory and sufficient price for the property. My friends at the Castle Coalition, a nationwide grassroots property rights activism project, have put together a survival guide for property owners most endangered by the alliance of tax-hungry governments and land-hungry developers at www.castlecoalition.org/pdf/publications/survival-guide.pdf

In 1787, speaking to the gun-toting George Washington at the Constitutional Convention, another noted conservative mouthpiece Benjamin Franklin stated, "I have lived, sir, a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?" No matter how you spin, twist, or sugar-coat the message, we all want our own piece of salty land. We do not need greedy governments and developers who seek to use eminent domain to take private property for their own gain. Communities may have desires, but only individuals have rights. Can I get a witness?

--J. C. Bowman is a public policy analyst who resides in Cleveland, TN..
He can be reached by email at: flapolicy@hotmail.com. 

Visit his website at: www.policyexperts.net
.