What property do you really own in America? First we must know “what is property?” James Madison said:
“[Property] in its particular application means “that dominion which one man claims and exercises over the external things of the world, in exclusion of every other individual.”
Property is something over which you have a Right to exercise exclusive dominion.
Samuel Adams wrote in 1792 that the colonists held the Natural Rights of Life, Liberty, Property, and a Right to protect and defend all three.
James Madison continues:
“In its larger and juster meaning, it embraces every thing to which a man may attach a value and have a right…”
Madison then names Property as:
“a man’s land, or merchandize, money; his opinions and the free communication of them, his religious opinions, and in the profession and practice dictated by them; the safety and liberty of his person; the free use of his faculties and free choice of the objects on which to employ them.”
Now that we know what Property is, I ask again; What Property to you own?
To actually own property you must be able to exercise exclusive dominion over that thing. You must have complete control over it without seeking anyone’s permission or favor.
What bank owns your property? What credit agency owns your property? If you pay off everything you owe, do you now own your property?
Do you own your home? Does paying off your mortgage mean you own your property? What if you fail to pay your property taxes for 3 years? Who owns your home?
Do you own the property on which your home sits? Can you build on your property, however you choose, without seeking government permission, without submitting to government regulations, without paying a government fee? Can you exercise dominion over your property without the government’s permission? Do you own your property?
Do you own the produce of your labor? Can you make a product of your own invention and sell it without government permission and fees? Can you earn a wage from your labor or skill without government permission and fees? Do you own the produce of your labor?
Are you sensing a pattern to this line of questioning?
Madison says,
“Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions…That is not a just government, nor is property secure under it, where arbitrary restrictions, exemptions, and monopolies deny to part of its citizens that free use of their faculties, and free choice of their occupations…”
Can the government seize your property for failing to pay their fees?
Can the government control your property through regulation (legislation without representation)?
Can you buy or sell property without first seeking permission from government or paying homage to their demands?
When the government dictates how you manage your Property, the only thing missing in servitude are the physical chains.
KrisAnne Hall is an attorney and former prosecutor, fired after teaching the Constitution to TEA Party groups – she would not sacrifice liberty for a paycheck. She is a disabled veteran of the US Army, a Russian linguist, a mother, a pastor’s wife and a patriot. She now travels the country and teaches the Constitution and the history that gave us our founding documents. KrisAnne Hall does not just teach the Constitution, she lays the foundations that show how reliable and relevant our founding documents are today. She presents the “genealogy” of the Constitution– the 700 year history and five foundational documents that are the very Roots of American Liberty.
