The founders of America understood that without an individual right to own and control property, no other rights can be protected from government tyranny. Homes, personal possessions, personal safety, unrestricted travel and free speech are all placed in jeopardy once government has established the power to control or confiscate private property through general edict. Property rights are really human rights and the very foundation of a free society. That is why the founders included the Fifth Amendment in the federal constitution and Article 1, Section 16 in the Washington State constitution. Secure property rights have been a major cornerstone of the American experiment that has resulted in the highest standard of living and the most personal freedom of any people in the history of the world.
Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights was organized in 2003 as a non-partisan political action committee where individual citizens and existing organizations can work together defending property rights. We will support equitable and scientifically sound land use regulations that do not force minority groups of private property owners to pay for public benefits enjoyed by all. After observing environmental conditions around the world we have concluded that private owners are far better stewards of this earth than collectivist central planners are. We want to be part of our children’s and grandchildren’s lives. They should not have to move elsewhere in order to afford a home of their own. Laws protecting property rights are useless if the relevant courts ignore or misinterpret their clear meaning.
Therefore, our MISSION is to protect property rights by:
The truth is that private ownership of property is the greatest instrument of freedom ever designed and it is sheer folly to speak of granting a man freedom while withholding that instrument from him." —Bertel M. Sparks