McCain rails against eminent domain

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday strongly voiced his support for private property rights, saying he would even seek to amend the Constitution to protect them.

{mosads}The senator, who is trying to revive his struggling White House campaign, told a crowd in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that he plans to appoint constructionist judges to the Supreme Court who “respect the Constitution and understand the security of private property it provides.”

"If need be, I would seek to amend the Constitution to protect private property rights in America," he added.
McCain was referring to the 2005 Supreme Court “eminent domain” decision, which he blasted as “disastrous.” The ruling gave local governments the right to take the house of a homeowner and use it for economic development.

“Property is the fruit of one’s labor,” the senator told the crowd. “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.”

McCain argued that “the America of the late 20th and early 21st centuries has witnessed an explosion of government regulations that have jeopardized private ownership of property, often for questionable purposes that have little to do with the limited types of public use envisioned by the framers of our Constitution.”

He pointed to polls that show Americans strongly object to allowing the government to take private property for economic development and noted that he has co-sponsored legislation to bar the practice.