Socialism - now the Government owns rain water

Socialism  -  Insane Oregon Leftists claim that even the water falling from the sky belongs to the government

• 30 days in jail for the "crime" of daring to collect rain water falling from the sky.
• Oregon law says all water is owned by "the people".
• Property rights have no meaning.
• Only with the permission of the government are you allowed to drink "the people's" water or use it in farming or business.

A rural Oregon man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail and over $1,500 in fines because he had three reservoirs on his 170 acres of land to collect and use rainwater.

Gary Harrington of Eagle Point, Oregon, says he plans to appeal his conviction in Jackson County (Ore.) Circuit Court on nine misdemeanor charges under a 1925 law for having what state water managers called “three illegal reservoirs” on his property – and for filling the reservoirs with rainwater and snow runoff.

“The government is bullying,” Harrington told CNSNews.com in an interview.

“They’ve just gotten to be big bullies and if you just lay over and die and give up, that just makes them bigger bullies. So, we as Americans, we need to stand on our constitutional rights, on our rights as citizens and hang tough. This is a good country, we’ll prevail,” he said.

Harrington said the case first began in 2002, when state water managers told him there were complaints about the three “reservoirs” – ponds – on his more than 170 acres of land.

According to Oregon water laws, all water is publicly owned. Therefore, anyone who wants to store any type of water on their property must first obtain a permit from state water managers.

Oregon law that says all of the water in the state of Oregon is public water and if you want to use that water, either to divert it or to store it, you have to acquire a water right from the state of Oregon before doing that activity.    (CNS News)