Dan McLaughlin

Voices For Freedom Read Columns Daniel McLaughlin
To Home Page Latest Newsletter Column Archives Click to get these columns for your local paper	Post Comments Below © 2007 Daniel J. McLaughlin The Rights Of Americans Mankind, through most of its history, has been witness to the abuse of the rights of the ordinary people by the ruling elite. Even in the brief periods of time when the rights of citizens were recognized and at least partially protected, the category of citizen was strictly limited so that the bulk of the people were not protected. The recognition of the rights of the individual is a relatively new phenomenon in relation to the millennia of human existence. The ideas developed slowly over several centuries, culminating in the formation of a unique experiment in political organization, the United States Of America. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights make up the statement of purpose and the rules of conduct for this experiment. Those who wrote and ratified those documents recognized that human rights are not granted by government but are, rather, innate to every individual. The documents clearly and unequivocally state that government derives its powers from the people, and that the purpose of government is to protect the individual from abuse of unalienable rights. Government cannot legitimately grant rights, nor take them away. In fact, there is only one limitation to the rights of the individual. No person may do anything which abridges the unalienable rights of anyone else. Government doesn’t need to give anyone the right to smoke or ingest alcohol or any other substance. It doesn’t need to give us the right to join organizations or to work or to not work. People don’t need government authorization to own property, to practice religion, to say what they think or to buy from and sell to whoever they wish. In each case, the right is inherent. Government’s only legitimate role is to prevent one person or organization from interfering with the rights of others. Theft is the taking of property legitimately owned by someone else, and violates that person’s right to that property. Murder and assault are violations of the life of someone else. Slavery and coercion are violations of the right to liberty. All of these transgressions and their many variants are prohibited, not because government said so, but because they are violations of the rights of man. There is a growing tendency of politicians and special interest groups to create new species of rights that benefit them and their constituents. The numerous examples include the “rights” to health care, housing, food, water, disaster rebuilding, or a minimum standard of living. In these cases, and all others like them, it is only possible for government to guarantee fulfillment for one person by stealing from another. The wording of the founding documents, and the events leading up to them, made it quite obvious that stealing by the government from one person to give to another is equally prohibited. The protection of freedom and property has led to the highest standards of living. Even though people don’t have a right to food, those in free societies are the best fed in the world. Though there is no right to water, free societies are most successful in providing adequate drinking water. Though health care is not a right, free societies have the healthiest people. Reality hits those countries hard that try to enforce bogus rights by stealing from the citizens. The former Soviet Union and Cuba are examples of societies that gave everyone rights to everything, and in the end give them nothing. Even the supposed shining stars of socialism in Scandinavia are finally using up the wealth built up under centuries of free markets and capitalism. They are beginning to stagger under the weight of unsustainable social programs. The United States, more than any other country, has a heritage of freedom. Liberty is its very foundation. It is the wellspring of America’s greatness and prosperity. With that said, it is quite apparent that America is not perfect. Government has become a tool for the powerful to pursue their own interests at the expense of everyone else, invoking the name of goodness or rightness or justice to rationalize legalized theft and coercion. Special interests of all stripes trade political favors for leverage. Americans are set against Americans, each group attempting to plunder the others. At this time, the political winds are not blowing in favor of individual freedom and limited government. That doesn’t mean that the experiment has failed. We have weathered storms many times before. Historical evidence shows us, however, that when people don’t respect individual rights, they tend to lose them.
Contact us Privacy Policy Comments
Daniel Mclaughlin Copyright © 2006 [Daniel McLaughlin]. All rights reserved. Revised: 01/06/08

Voices For Freedom

Read Columns

Daniel McLaughlin

To Home Page

Latest Newsletter

Column Archives

Click to get these columns for your local paper

Post Comments Below

The Rights Of Americans

Mankind, through most of its history, has been witness to the abuse of the rights of the ordinary people by the ruling elite. Even in the brief periods of time when the rights of citizens were recognized and at least partially protected, the category of citizen was strictly limited so that the bulk of the people were not protected. The recognition of the rights of the individual is a relatively new phenomenon in relation to the millennia of human existence. The ideas developed slowly over several centuries, culminating in the formation of a unique experiment in political organization, the United States Of America.

The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights make up the statement of purpose and the rules of conduct for this experiment. Those who wrote and ratified those documents recognized that human rights are not granted by government but are, rather, innate to every individual. The documents clearly and unequivocally state that government derives its powers from the people, and that the purpose of government is to protect the individual from abuse of unalienable rights.

Government cannot legitimately grant rights, nor take them away. In fact, there is only one limitation to the rights of the individual. No person may do anything which abridges the unalienable rights of anyone else. Government doesn’t need to give anyone the right to smoke or ingest alcohol or any other substance. It doesn’t need to give us the right to join organizations or to work or to not work. People don’t need government authorization to own property, to practice religion, to say what they think or to buy from and sell to whoever they wish. In each case, the right is inherent. Government’s only legitimate role is to prevent one person or organization from interfering with the rights of others.

Theft is the taking of property legitimately owned by someone else, and violates that person’s right to that property. Murder and assault are violations of the life of someone else. Slavery and coercion are violations of the right to liberty. All of these transgressions and their many variants are prohibited, not because government said so, but because they are violations of the rights of man.

There is a growing tendency of politicians and special interest groups to create new species of rights that benefit them and their constituents. The numerous examples include the “rights” to health care, housing, food, water, disaster rebuilding, or a minimum standard of living. In these cases, and all others like them, it is only possible for government to guarantee fulfillment for one person by stealing from another. The wording of the founding documents, and the events leading up to them, made it quite obvious that stealing by the government from one person to give to another is equally prohibited.

The protection of freedom and property has led to the highest standards of living. Even though people don’t have a right to food, those in free societies are the best fed in the world. Though there is no right to water, free societies are most successful in providing adequate drinking water. Though health care is not a right, free societies have the healthiest people. Reality hits those countries hard that try to enforce bogus rights by stealing from the citizens. The former Soviet Union and Cuba are examples of societies that gave everyone rights to everything, and in the end give them nothing. Even the supposed shining stars of socialism in Scandinavia are finally using up the wealth built up under centuries of free markets and capitalism. They are beginning to stagger under the weight of unsustainable social programs.

The United States, more than any other country, has a heritage of freedom. Liberty is its very foundation. It is the wellspring of America’s greatness and prosperity. With that said, it is quite apparent that America is not perfect. Government has become a tool for the powerful to pursue their own interests at the expense of everyone else, invoking the name of goodness or rightness or justice to rationalize legalized theft and coercion. Special interests of all stripes trade political favors for leverage. Americans are set against Americans, each group attempting to plunder the others.

At this time, the political winds are not blowing in favor of individual freedom and limited government. That doesn’t mean that the experiment has failed. We have weathered storms many times before. Historical evidence shows us, however, that when people don’t respect individual rights, they tend to lose them.

Hit Counter