Do you have a right to something which requires society to pay for it? It’s a philosophical question I suppose. But from a logical point of view, it seems to me that a right cannot really be called a right if someone else has to pay for it. It should be called something else instead.

I bring this up because there has been an awful lot of talk about RIGHTS from the new Left. It got me to thinking about the meaning and ramifications of the words that are being spoken.

I’m talking about all of these so called “rights” that the new Left claims that people have, or should have.

The big ones that come to mind are a right to free education. A right to free healthcare. A right to a “living wage”. There are more, but that’s enough for the sake of this discussion.

We do have rights as spelled out in the Constitution. When I run through them in my head, not one of them requires that society pay for it. They’re just, rights… freedoms if you will.

Why is it that these apparent new rights, as spelled out by the new Left, are those which require society to pay for them? If rights require money to be fulfilled, are they really rights?

The Constitution is Full of Rights

There are lots of rights and guarantees (and rules) spelled out in the Constitution. Some of them affect us as individuals more than others. Here are a few which you may (hopefully) know:

• Freedom of religion, speech, press, to assemble, petition government
• Right to bear arms
• Free from unreasonable searches and seizures
• Right against self-incrimination and double jeopardy
• Due process
• Right against taking without just compensation
• Speedy and public trial
• Right to counsel

In my view, the rights listed above really don’t require a burden on society to pay. Rather, they are, well, rights.

What About Rights That Cost Money?

Free education. For every American to have the right to a free education would require that society (we) pay for it. We already do, through our property taxes and other taxes. However they’re talking about adding “free” college too, as a right. But that right is not “free”.

Free healthcare. Same with healthcare. Many within the new Left are demanding government healthcare as a right. Not only would that not be free, but it would be astronomically expensive. “We” would still have to pay for it. That right is not “free”.

My point is that these are not rights in my view. Rather, they would be taxed benefits. “Programs” that would not exist without society paying for them. This is very different from the rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution.

Why doesn’t the new Left call it like it is? A taxed “program”. I wouldn’t even call it a benefit, because when government starts distributing (spending) other people’s money on other people, it’s grossly inefficient and expensive. Likely with inferior service and satisfaction than the private sector.

Oh wait… I know why they don’t call it that…

Because there now is a apparent tipping-point of dumbed-down people within society who lack even the most basic critical thinking skills to understand the reality of this. And/or those who themselves would likely not have to pay for this. To them, if you call it a “right”, they’ll cheer “Yay! Yay!” Gimme-dat!!

And the new Left knows that when there’s enough of them (the gimmie-dat’s), their power will be assured. They’ll get their votes. Forever.

Free Healthcare, Food, Housing

At the time of this writing there have been several debates among the current democrat presidential candidates. I have watched these debates for the amusement factor.

One thing I always say out loud when they begin proclaiming all the free stuff that we deserve… I say, “Why stop there?” If “free healthcare for all” is my right, then I say, I want free food too! Wait a minute… free housing – that should be my right too! Oh wait… that’s beginning to sound like jail… 😉

And that’s figuratively where you’d be with all that free $hit…