76-16-A1
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1977
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Private Property[edit]
Transcript[edit]A young couple in Fullerton, California with a collection of antique furniture and a yen (now fulfilled) to restore an old fashioned home are fighting City Hall. And, they may be winning. A lot of their neighbors hope they are, and the rest of us should hope so, too. Governments at every level have shown an increasing arrogance in recent years with regard to private property rights. It's time they were reminded that an individual's right to possess and control his own property is fundamental to freedom itself. Carole and Matthew Slobin, like so many of us, had a dream. It wasn't an impossible dream but it did take eight years to fulfill. Now, for almost a year and a half, the Fullerton Park Commission and the City Council have been making the dream a nighmare. The dream was to find an old fashioned home, restore it, furnish it with their collection of antiques and raise their children in it. Both the Slobins work. Carole teaches first grade, and has always felt a responsibility to make her first graders aware of how wonderful their country is. Well, a year ago March the Slobins found their old house. It had been built in 1916 on something more than a full acre. They put their life savings into restoring it and planned to landscape the entire acre plus. But, in that same month, The Fullerton Park Commission had looked at the property with the idea of making it a mini-park. There are two regular parks within half a mile. When the city received a letter from the Slobins stating they had purchased the property and were in escrow, the park idea was dropped. As work on the house was completed, the Slobins made a slight alteration in their dream; they wouldn't landscape and garden the entire property. There was an energy crisis and California's worst drought in 100 years. They decided to build two rental houses on the back half of the lot, each having about a 90 by 100 foot lot. The planning commission approved and so did the neighbors. But, when the Park Commission and the City Council learned of the new plan, back they came with the mini-park idea. The Slobins were threatened with condemnation proceedings in spite of all their restoring and the fact that the old house had become their family home, complete with mortgage. Perhaps I've gone too fast. I failed to mention that last year when the Slobins first bought the place and then heard about the city's plan for a park, they got the signatures of 100 neighbors who evidently preferred to have the Slobin dream than the mini-park. It was then they were told to go ahead; that the city would drop its plan. This June, with the park idea reborn, the city council called for a public hearing on the matter. The surprised council found 150 opponents of the park bearing signs that said, "Save the Slobin Home", "Listen to the People" and "No Mini-Park". There was, in addition, a petition bearing 2400 signatures of people in the area who don't want the park. The local paper has also editorialized against the p:trk. The meeting was adjourned with no action taken, but another public hearing was scheduled (under pressure) for August 23rd. Possibly the council thinks the people will cool down over the summer. I don't think so. The Slobins held an open house for their new friends; 700 came, many bearing gifts. It's nice, isn't it, to learn that you can fight city hall? This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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