Excerpts from remarks by Don Corace
The Convocation, Liberty University, Lynchbug, VA
September 10, 2008

“We must renew the fight to preserve those inalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – rights not given to us by government – but bestowed upon us by God that inspired the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of our great nation.”

“There are those who want to take away the very freedoms we hold so dear. There are those who seek to infringe upon the exercise of our religious beliefs. There are those who belittle and disrespect the sanctity of life. There are those who seek to wrest from our hands the arms we have a right to bear. There are those who seek to impose more taxes that stifle our economic prosperity. And there are those who continue to assault our private property rights by seizing our homes and businesses for the sake of generating more tax revenues and by strangling us with burdensome regulations. These people are government pirates!”

“There is a renewed environmental ethic today with the focus on preserving our vital resources and our natural heritage for future generations. Without question, this preservation is important. But we must be mindful that there those who do not believe that environmental protection should be balanced with economic prosperity and protection of private property rights. In my view, this is a form of environmental terrorism.”

“I believe that there is no better definition for conservationism than one I found in a document entitled The Declaration of Values, written by Liberty Counsel, a legal foundation that for years has been fighting tirelessly to advancing freedom of religion, the sanctity of life, and traditional family values. One of the Declarations reads: “To secure the right to own, possess and manage private property without arbitrary interference from government, while acknowledging the necessity of maintaining a proper and balanced care and stewardship of the environment and natural resources for the health and safety of our families.”

“The Book of Micah, Chapter 2, Verse 1 says: “Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil in their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.” It is up to us then to take the power from them.”

“The issue of protecting private property rights should transcend politics. It is not solely a conservative, libertarian or liberal issue, nor is it a Republican, Independent, or Democrat issue. It is an issue that strikes at the very heart of the freedoms we as Americans hold so dear.”

“We, the People, endowed by our Creator with these rights, must, in Christian tradition, vow to protect our property and the property of our neighbors from government pirates!”

Home ownership is a cornerstone of the American Dream. In recent days, however, the turmoil in our banking system as a result of the mortgage debacle leaves millions of everyday Americans across the country wondering if they will ever be able to achieve it.

Many prospective homeowners who have worked hard and managed their finances responsibly are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain a mortgage. One thing that our elected representatives and regulators must keep in mind is that home ownership for these consumers is a right, not a privilege.

We need to ask ourselves three simple questions as to which of the presidential candidates is the best man for the job to institute meaningful regulatory reforms without stifling the free market system:

1. Who will assemble the right financial team and hold greedy corporate executives accountable for financial mismanagement?

Three years ago John McCain said, “If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.” Barack Obama opposed reforms and is ranked second among members of Congress to receive contributions from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers.

2. Who has the backbone and track record for tackling problems head-on without regard to party politics?

John McCain is known to be a Washington maverick and has consistently stood on principle while bucking his own party and reaching across the aisle to solve problems. Barack Obama is known to be one of the most liberal members of Congress and has consistently towed the Democrats’ party line – when, or course, he votes. Unfortunately, as President, he cannot simply vote “Present.”

3. Who is the most experienced and qualified?

John McCain served his country in both war and peace for more than 50 years or Barack Obama, a “community organizer” whose only qualification is that he has elevated himself to celebrity status and duped enough people to receive his party’s nomination.

You decide.

Senator McCain,

The economy, jobs, energy policy, and health care are among the key issues in today’s campaign. However, one “kitchen-table” issue that has emerged throughout America is the assault on private property rights – and it is becoming one of the defining issues facing families for decades to come.

Your address to the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Rotary Club on August 6, 2007 and your pledge, if elected, to press for a constitutional amendment to protect property rights  sends a clear message that you are serious about the issue. Your pledge was made in the context of eminent domain abuse in the wake of the disastrous Supreme Court ruling of Kelo v. New London, Connecticut.

However, you must broaden your position to include regulations related to wetlands and endangered species that are strangling the rights of homeowners, small business owners, farmers, and ranchers throughout the country.

There is no question we must preserve our vital resources and natural heritage for future generations, but government abuse of property rights has reached epidemic proportions.

Some examples:

I urge you – and the many Americans across the country who are being ravaged by government regulation – to fight for our rights. You are on the right side of the issue. Barack Obama, who believes in more, not less, government control, will ratchet up the assault on the rights of property owners – especially those in America’s Heartland who he says are “bitter…and cling to guns or religion.”

Don Corace, Author

Government Pirates: The Assault On Private Property Rights–And How We Can Fight It

President Bush has signed legislation to bail out 400,000 home buyers who face foreclosure. The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 could have far-reaching, ill effects on private property rights.

Among the bill’s provisions, it “creates a new regulator for ailing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and establishes a $300 billion program to expand the Federal Housing Administration’s ability to guarantee mortgages.” Included in the package is $3.9 billion for Community Development Block Grant funds. These funds will allow cities and counties throughout the country to seize homes and then sell them to private developers — thanks to the disastrous 2005 Supreme Court ruling known as Kelo v. New London, Connecticut.

The Senate attempted to protect property owners from greedy governments by inserting a clause stating in the bill stating that “no funds under this title may be used in conjunction with property taken by eminent domain unless eminent domain is employed for a public use.” But, that clause disappeared from the House version after House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson got their heads together.

The new language Frank and Paulson came up with allows bureaucrats to use the billions in federal grants to seize homes for general economic development, as provided under Kelo, and then pull the old “bait and switch” by creating a new project to sell the land to developers.

Our government at work.

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want,”says Barack Obama. He supported the Washington, D.C. gun ban - until he flip-flopped his position after the Supreme Court ruled against it. He has pledged to raise taxes. He wants the government to control our health care. He is beholden to, and shares the same views, of the radical Left and environmental extremists that continually assault our property rights and who oppose developing a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), oppose building nuclear power plants, and oppose developing domestic coal and oil shale deposits. He supported a moratorium on offshore drilling - until he changed his position (once over 70% of Americans supported lifting it). A vote for Obama is a vote for government-mandated redistribution of wealth.

On the other hand, John McCain strenuously opposed the disastrous Kelo v. New London, Connecticut Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to use its powers of eminent domain to seize homes and businesses to benefit developers and generate more tax revenue. He said, “The need to protect private property rights - once so obvious to Madison and Adams - is now becoming lost in a tangle of intrusive government takings. Nowhere has this been truer than in (that) disastrous decision.”

McCain has vowed to support a constitutional amendment to protect private property rights and recognizes that “property is the fruit of one’s labor. Property rights protection means that the individual reaps the rewards from the sweat of his brow, not the government or those who control the government.” He even has a petition on his Web site in support of property rights.

All people have a God-given right to be free, and that right is not subject to the whims and interests and authority of another person, government or culture, and central to our ideals is the sanctity of property rights. Without private property there can be no freedom, and without freedom there can be no America.