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of Children
By Stephen Kimbol Jr
The question of who “owns” our government couldn’t seize your kids those state-owned children are worth a
kids is neither new nor easily answered. unless government already owned ‘em. lot of money to the government. And
The question once drove Solomon to (Can you say “com-mu-nist”, boys and he’s talking about almost every Ameri-
suggest that a child be cut in half so girls?) can child.
each of the two contesting “owners” Government seized the children You’ll probably find my research
(mothers) could have equal parts. We of this article’s author. In attempting disturbing since it suggests that Ameri-
presume that, if anyone “owns” our to discover the government’s legal right can parents – you, perhaps – are sell-
kids, it must be the parent(s). But that to take his kids, the author reached the ing their children into slavery. My un-
presumption is routinely challenged by following conclusions: derstanding of this incredible problem
media accounts of parents who lose began when my wife and I were ac-
“custody” of their kids for reasons that cused – by the government – of read-
seem irrational. As a result, some ing the Bible to our children without
people begin to suspect that maybe we
don’t really “own” our kids.
The heart of this suspicion is
M ost of us find it unremark-
able when Bill Clinton
says, “Our children are our most valu-
training. As ridiculous as that charge
sounds, it’s true. Based on that charge,
the government took our children and
government’s habit of simply taking able assets.” Although the President caused us great suffering.
children without due process of law or uses the collective term “our” to de- In the aftermath, I began to search
affording the parents the presumption scribe these children, we assume the the laws for the government’s author-
of innocence. In fact, government agen- President is speaking in the individual ity to take our children, and here’s part
cies sometimes seize our kids much like sense of “yours”, “mine”, and “theirs” of what I found:
the bank “repo’s” our cars when we fall when he talks about “our” children First, according to 28 U.S.C.
behind on the car loan; somebody just (surely, he couldn’t mean that we 3002-15, the “United States” is not a
pulls up to the curb in a car and tows Americans own all children collectively, “government”; it’s a private corporation
‘em away. The reason banks can re- and even more obviously, the and the other fifty “states” (plus Guam,
possess your car without going to court President’s use of “our” couldn’t mean Virgin Island, Washington D.C., etc.)
and affording you due process or the the kids belong to the government!) . are mere corporate franchises. The
presumption of innocence – is that un- We also assume the President is speak- “United States” only deals in Com-
til you repay your car loan, you don’t ing metaphorically when he describes merce and does so under private inter-
“own” your car. Since you don’t own “children” as “assets” (surely, he national law.
it, the bank can seize it. doesn’t mean our kids are actually the Second, on April 9th, 1912, the
It’s hard to believe, but perhaps physical “property” of the sort that United States Inc. created the Children’s
the same reasoning applies to our chil- might be registered as “assets” of a busi- Bureau in the Department of Commerce
dren. Maybe government can seize your ness or corporation). and Labor to keep track of America’s
kids because the parents do not legally However, my research indicates children. (see, 62nd Congress, Session
“own” them. As with the bank repos- the President is speaking with great pre- II. Chap. 73 pages 79-80). This should
sessions, it follows that if you don’t cision when he says, “Our children are have sent up a red flag, but it didn’t.
“own” your kids, the only party who our most valuable asset.” He means: Then in 1921, Congress passed
can take them is the true owner, or the 1) “your” children are in fact legal prop- the Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act that
owner’s representative. In other words, erty of the federal government; and 2) created the United States birth Regis-