Eminent Domain and Protection of Private Property Rights

Why Is It Important?

Without private property rights, there is no freedom. Our labor and the pay we receive for it represents minutes, hours and days of our lives - the expenditure of incalculable personal energy. We own that and make our own choices as to how that labor and the time of our lives is expended in what endeavor, for whatever pay we are willing to accept.

With the fruits of that labor come the potential opportunities to own a piece of land with a house on it. That income empowers us so that we may provide for our family and others we care about. No one has the right to take that away from us. For government to take that is not only to steal from us, but to enslave us to its purposes because our time, energy and labor is no longer our own.

Once any person or government gains dictatorial power over our private property, the less freedom we have. Those that take your property are literally stealing your life, your labor, your peace of mind and very existence.

Current Problems

In Connecticut and all across the country, expansion of Eminent Domain case law to broaden municipal and state tax revenues is now being applied in ways that allow land trusts to collaborate with state and Federal agencies to seize adjacent property in the interest of "environmental protection" and/or "research," thereby expanding land trust holdings. This trend threatens our private property ownership rights more perniciously than ever.

Connecticut must protect itself against this type of aggressive expansion. Our Democrat dominated Assembly recently voted down a bill that would have re-asserted our Constitutional private property rights and reined in the power of Eminent Domain. Citizens must be aware of cases like Kelo vs. New London.

What Will Kathy Do?

Fight for the protection of private property owned by citizens and businesses by proposing and pushing for passage of bill(s) re-affirming our original Constitutional private property protections and restricting the use of Eminent Domain seizures in Connecticut.

Recent Eminent Domain Abuse Cases: