Yet Another Bill Of Rights? Oh, Spare Me.

by Jack VanNoord

Health care bill of rights.  Air passenger bill of rights.  It seems that every time I open my morning paper someone is calling for the creation of yet another bill of rights.  Apparently, some of you aren’t very happy with the products and services that your fellow citizens are currently offering, so you’re hoping that your government officials can make your neighbor provide you with what you want. 

Since the use of the phrase “bill of rights” has become so trendy as of late, I decided that it was time to take a look at the original.  Boy, was I for a surprise.  It turns out the original Bill of Rights ISN’T a bunch of things that you get to demand from me through the power of government.  In fact, it’s actually a list of things you DON’T get to demand from me through the power of government.  Huh.  Who would have guessed?

When considering any new laws, it is important to remember that there is a fundamental difference between recognizing that government exists to ensure that you have a legal right to be free “from” something, and using government to demand a right “to” something --at my expense and by government force if necessary.    

Without a doubt the writers of the Bill of Rights meant to severely limit the purposes for which government could be used.  They used the words “no” and “not” almost two dozen times in the restraint of government.   According to the original, you don’t get to use government to establish a state-sanctioned religion no matter how convinced you are that your religion is the right one.  You don’t get to use the force of government to stop me from speaking my mind no matter how convinced you are that I am wrong.  You don’t get to use the force of government to prevent me from peaceably assembling with my fellow malcontents no matter how much that notion may cause you to loose sleep at night. 

So it strikes me as rather ironic (“unsettling” might be a better word) that those of you who are seeking legislation which makes demands upon your fellow citizens --cheap gas, pleasant airline service, prescription medications-- have the audacity to refer to your demands as a “bill of rights.”  Call these demands what you will, but they most certainly don’t constitute a “bill of rights.”   

Even as our politicians in Washington work to convince us that cradle-to-grave care is our birthright, the fact remains that no one has an inalienable right to demand that his neighbor provide him with anything.  As basic as they are to human survival, no one has a right to DEMAND food, clothing or shelter from his fellow citizens, let alone no-hassles airline service, gas at $1.20 a gallon or low-cost prescription medicine.  Do I believe that each of us has a MORAL obligation to make sure that even the least among us has food, clothing and proper medical care? Absolutely.  But should you have a LEGAL right to demand them from me? Absolutely not.   

Agitate for better airline service if you must.  Picket for lower gas prices if you are so inclined.  Complain until everyone knows about your prescription medication woes.  Boycott, write letters, don’t fly, take your business elsewhere, join forces with other like-minded people.  Do whatever you feel you must to get better service and lower prices.  But don’t pretend for a second that you have the right to use legislation to DEMAND any of these things from anybody.  Using government to demand that someone else provide for your needs according to your dictates is a misuse of government. 

But most of all, do me a favor, stop referring to your list of demands and desires as a “bill of rights.”  You only reveal the fact that you’ve never bothered to read the original.

09-27-2000

Written by Jack VanNoord - West Dundee.