Ryan Gill ([info]montieth) wrote,
@ 2008-10-09 15:47:00
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What is a Right....
Bill Whittle has a nice piece up at Pajama's TV. Something I've found puzzling when told as a response to discussion on the right to bear arms is that "that the government shouldn't go around giving people guns". Apparently, a LOT of people think a right is something that should be provided to you, free of charge. That's not what it is.

Bill Whittle on the subject

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[info]sehkmet22
2008-10-09 07:57 pm UTC (link)
That's one of the biggest problems with the country, in my estimation.
People equate right with something they should be handed on a silver platter.

But in the interest of not seeming like a total unempathetic bitch, I think I'll leave it at that.

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[info]montieth
2008-10-10 03:37 am UTC (link)
That's one of the biggest problems with the country, in my estimation.
People equate right with something they should be handed on a silver platter.


I agree 100%

But in the interest of not seeming like a total unempathetic bitch, I think I'll leave it at that.


I'd not argue that you'd seen unempathetic. Rather, you're sentimental and emotional but not at the expense of logic and rationality.

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[info]lonewolf545
2008-10-09 08:26 pm UTC (link)
Hey, if they want to make it so the government has to issue me an M4 or M16A2, I won't mind ;-) (heck, just remove the NFA, or at least the '86 ban, and I'd be happy).

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[info]johnbutler
2008-10-10 01:56 am UTC (link)
He's on to something, but we could put it more directly simply by saying true rights are negative things--the right NOT to have something imposed on you.

This interpretation necessarily requires a belief in free will, God-given or otherwise.

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[info]mattcaron
2008-10-10 03:31 am UTC (link)
Apparently, a LOT of people think a right is something that should be provided to you, free of charge

This is, of course, the issue with Obama's right to health care.

If one argues that we have the right to health care in that "I should be able to go out and pay a doctor for services", then I would agree that we have such a right - it's kind of part of the free market (I would also argue that I have a right to go pay someone for sex, since that is also a service, but I digress).

However, that is not what people are arguing. They are arguing that people should be able to afford health care, without any real discussion about what affordable is. Forgetting for a moment that they are not humans, I have spent about $3k on my cats' medical expenses over the past two months (2 neuters, 1 spay, initial shots for 3 kittens, 2 physicals which ended up with some teeth problems which required anesthesia and tooth extractions, medications, etc.) All the cats are now doing better, but that ate in to my gun budget. However, is that affordable? I'd say so.

What about my annual physical? It's about $150 for an office visit without insurance (as I found out when I had health insurance which did not cover office visits - it was cheap and covered catastrophic things). Is that affordable? I'd say so as well - even though it cost my wife $2k not covered by insurance to have her wisdom teeth pulled.

Thus, I would say that we do have a system of affordable health care in this country. Of course, I wish it was less, but I wish ammo was free too.

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