BamaD
Posts: 20687
Joined: 2/27/2005 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SunDominant Rights are inherent to the individual and privileges are given by an outside authority. Under U.S. Constitutional law, certain rights are recognized as needing particular protections; the Constitution, nor any government, "grants" rights. The Constitution is also very specific in pointing out that the rights it enumerates are not all rights. Others do exist. A parallel I often have heard is that traveling from one area to another unmolested is a right, however going it in an automobile under a state license is a privilege. The most frequent disagreement I have is in the nature of those unenumerated rights, such as the supposed "right" to health care. Rights can be exercised by an individual without forcing the participation of others, so free doctor visits are not a right. Should a government decide via law to provide health care subsidized by taxation, that is a privilege. How we use words to shape our culture is extremely important. The media, governments, businesses, and every individual on the planet, choose words whose connotations support their agenda. Well put.
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Government ranges from a necessary evil to an intolerable one. Thomas Paine People don't believe they can defend themselves because they have guns, they have guns because they believe they can defend themselves.
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