If you have been following my commentary on
the Republican Primary you are probably right in concluding that Rick Santorum
is my favorite. Then the other day I came upon a TV clip of Rick Santorum being
interviewed by someone. I couldn’t believe what I heard him say. Before I could
determine the full context of the video it was gone. What I found so unsettling
was that he appeared to say that human rights
are created by government and that no one has a right to health care.
I spent significant time over the last few
days trying to confirm the context of the video or determine what Mr. Santorum’s
position was regarding the source of human rights. I read through all likely
position papers on his web site and could
not determine the answer. I have heard him and other ‘conservatives’ quote from
the declaration of Independence the clause that is the core credo of the
liberal view of democracy (see footnote).”He even titles one of his issue
sections “We hold these truths…” where he does support some of positions that I do he seems convinced that
human rights can be terminated or created by government,. This is not quite
what the founders had in mind!
I Did not find the video but I did come
across a written discussion between Rick and Hugh Hewitt (talk show host and
Law professor) that did lay it out pretty clearly. Sadly my first impression
was right! Here is Rick Santorum scolding the Catholic Bishops and in
the process confirming his rejection of the founding idea that “’…to secure
these rights government is instituted..”:
“I hate to say it, but you know, you (the bishops) had it coming. And it’s time
to wake up and realize that government isn’t the answer to the social ills.
It’s people of faith, and it’s families, and it’s communities, and it’s
charities that need to do this as it has in America so successfully for so long.” (Click here for the whole interview.)
Whew! The need of humans for health care is a
social ill? I think the bishops are closer to the truth, everyone should be
able to get health care. I think it’s a violation of human dignity to deny
anyone health care. That is the language of human rights, unalienable rights if
you like .An economic and governmental environment that denies health care to any
one is a violation of human rights. The resulting suffering is a social ill.
Our government was instituted to ‘secure’ such rights and yes then persons, families,
churches, charities, communities and businesses can better provide health care to all.
Footnotes-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liberal
Credo: We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ... (http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/)
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