House of Representatives ·
Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act
“I want the House to pass this bill. Credit card companies should not track gun sales. If banks can track what you buy, they can control you and violate your rights.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. This is not about crime. It is about control. Once you can flag a purchase, any purchase, you can flag a person. Once you can flag a person, you can control what they buy, what banks they use, and even what they believe. It is wrong. It is un-American. This bill is not just about guns. It is about the precedent that was set. If we allow financial institutions to become the surveillance arm of one party’s political agenda today, there will be no limit to what gets flagged tomorrow. Let me be clear: Buying a firearm is not extremism; buying a Bible is not extremism; reading the news you choose and want to read is not extremism; exercising a constitutional right is not extremism. The extreme position is using America’s banks to build a permanent list to track who people worship, what they read, and what constitutional rights they happen to choose to exercise. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for privacy, freedom, and the Constitution of the United States of America.”
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Speech on a bill
Signal 42 of 100
Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. This is not about crime. It is about control. Once you can flag a purchase, any purchase, you can flag a person. Once you can flag a person, you can control what they buy, what banks they use, and even what they believe. It is wrong. It is un-American. This bill is not just about guns. It is about the precedent that was set. If we allow financial institutions to become the surveillance arm of one party’s political agenda today, there will be no limit to what gets flagged tomorrow. Let me be clear: Buying a firearm is not extremism; buying a Bible is not extremism; reading the news you choose and want to read is not extremism; exercising a constitutional right is not extremism. The extreme position is using America’s banks to build a permanent list to track who people worship, what they read, and what constitutional rights they happen to choose to exercise. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for privacy, freedom, and the Constitution of the United States of America.