For decades, we have been told that individuals have a “right” to certain values, such as an education, a “living wage,” and health care. Such claims ignore the meaning of the concept right.
Rights pertain to action–the freedom to take the actions one deems appropriate. The right to free speech means the freedom to express ideas as we deem appropriate. The right to freedom of association means the freedom to interact with others as we choose. Rights protect our freedom to act as we judge best.
To claim a right to a value means that if others do not provide that value, regardless of our own actions, then they have violated our rights. If I have a right to health care, then doctors violate my rights by not giving me their services even if I can’t pay them. If an employer refuses to pay me $15 an hour, even though I possess minimal job skills, he has violated my rights.
In truth, I have a right to take the actions necessary to obtain the values that I need and desire. I have a right to pay for insurance, find an employer who provides insurance, or find other means of satisfying my needs and desires. I have a right to obtain more job skills to command a higher wage and better benefits. I do not have right to force others to provide or pay for what I am unable or unwilling to attain.
The alleged right to a value destroys all rights. If others must provide us with certain values regardless of our own actions and their own judgment, then the rights of the individuals providing those values are violated. They must act contrary to their own judgment.
Those who claim that individuals have a right to a value believe that some individuals must produce values and then provide those values to others. They are claiming that doctors should treat patients regardless of their ability to pay, that taxpayers should fund an expanding array of entitlement programs, that those who produce values should give them to those who don’t. That is slavery.