Who, or What, Grants Us Our Rights?

UPDATE 1 November 2004:
John Kerry's radio address to the nation on 30 October 2004, he says the following:

• On Tuesday, you’ll face a choice between four more years of George Bush’s giveaways to the big drug companies and the big HMOs -- or a President who will finally make health care a right, and not a privilege, for every American.

As you can clearly see, he believes that the President of the United States is the man responsible for making decisions about what the rights of Americans are. Now, he tells you that he believes in God, and I won't opine on whether his faith is genuine or not, for I simply don't know what truly lives in the heart and soul of John Kerry. But I do know this, MY rights belong to me because God gave them to me by virtue of Him having given me life on Earth. Think about it: if John Kerry has the power to grant "rights", then doesn't John Kerry have the power to take those "rights" away at a later date? (psst: that's called Communism)

Original post 21 October 2004
This is a fundamental question which separates the people of this nation into two separate and diabolically opposed camps.

One group, mainly Democrats, socialists, and those who like big government, suggest that rights flow from government to the people. This is a dangerous way to think, because if government grants rights, then government can take away those rights. John Kerry seems to fall into this school of thought.

On the other hand, our founding fathers and those who have a firm grasp of the principles which lead to the creation of the Constitution of the United States understand that rights are inherently owned by individuals, and that government exists primarily to protect and preserve these rights. Whether rights descend from God or are possessed simply by virtue of being a human being does not matter. What does matter to me is that many Americans think the government provides our rights, and in today's society those rights include housing, health care, food, a job, and retirement savings. I couldn't disagree more. I think that the government should merely protect peoples' rights to property and life, which in turn affords individuals the ability to work and earn money.

Here is what John Kerry said in the 3rd debate:

• "Because we are the United States of America, we're a country with a great, unbelievable Constitution, with rights that we afford people, that you can't discriminate in the workplace. You can't discriminate in the rights that you afford people."

The decision is simple. Freedom is difficult, and it certainly is not free. In this election, we have a clear choice between a man who thinks freedom and individual liberty will lead to continued American superiority and opportunity. The other man thinks that government programs need to fill in the gap for people because most Americans aren't smart enough or capable of making decisions which will lead to a successful and productive life.

"[A] wise and frugal government...shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."-Thomas Jefferson