Year 2008 -- Rights and Responsibilities

Americans popularly speak about their various Rights as though those Rights are ordained as indivisible and without consequences; that they exist in a vacuum independent of other forces. However, these Rights are passed along from one generation to another (or not, in which case Freedom ceases to exist).

Yet, for each of these Rights as surely as a coin has two sides, Rights have an accompanying Responsibility. Each of the Rights discussed below were identified or enumerated (to mention separately as if in counting; name one by one; specify, as in a list) in the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution.

The Right to vote brings with it the Responsibility to learn about the candidates and issues and to make an informed vote.

Freedom from slavery and involuntary servitude requires the individual to educate oneself and seek improvement, work, prosper, overcome obstacles, and care for others. This is an individual Responsibility that is not dependent upon government.

One's Right to remain silent brings with it the Responsibility to speak truthfully.

Ownership of property carries the Responsibility to properly maintain and repair that property. This is a self-respecting responsibility.

When executing the Right to “petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” one's Responsibility requires providing sound and truthful evidence.

The Right of “people peacefully to assemble” means one has the Responsibility to respect the rights of the opposition to also peacefully assemble.

It is our Right that we are all “created equal,” but it is an individual Responsibility that determines if we excel or not.

Our Right to the “pursuit of happiness” can only be assured through our Responsibility to seek wisdom and purity as our founders intended.

We do have the Right “to alter or to abolish” one form of government and “to institute new Government,” but there is a Responsibility to make changes through peaceable means and to be very careful when organizing the various powers such as our founders did with their system of checks and balances.

We have the Right to “bear arms” and when doing so must ensure the use of weapons is done judiciously.

Our Right to the free exercise of religion brings a Responsibility to provide faithful worship.

Our Right to life brings the profound Responsibility to protect life, especially the most vulnerable among us, the unborn.

For brevity, there were additional Rights identified within the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution to include being secure in one's person, house, papers, effects, and protection against unreasonable searches. Several dwelt upon due process of law, speedy trial and punishments.

Regardless, one can easily identify that each of these Rights brings with it at least one Responsibility.

Year 2008 -- Simple Economics

I'll describe the following linked article as simply as possible.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=36986

Let's say you run a business that produces a particular product (whatever favorite item you'd like it to be).

Let's say that a friend of yours also produces the identical product.

All else being equal, the only physical difference between these 2 businesses is where the product is made.

Where your friend produces that product, he/she is charged 23% on each sale in which case your friend passes along that cost as part of the selling price.

Where you produce that product, you are charged 40% on each sale in which you pass along that cost as part of the selling price.

Now, at this point, all else being equal, your selling price for the identical product would be 17% higher, right?

Both products are sold side-by-side at stores. At the end of each day, some number of those products will be sold.

Who will make the most amount of money, you or your friend? The answer, obviously lies with decisions made by the buyer, right?

Corporate tax rates offer an even more striking comparison. In the US, our high rate of 40 percent hurts our ability to create jobs and create capital. Those in the European Union slashed the average corporate tax rate from 38 percent in 1996 to just 23 percent today.

Bottom line: Companies do not pay taxes, the consumer does.