Tuesday, October 13, 2009

George Will and Rights


George Will wrote an outrageous op-ed in the Post Sunday. Throughout the piece Will finds a way to put down activist's that speak out for the rights of minorities. As he calls them "Rights talkers" are inherently aggressive, tend toward moral inflation and hold preemptive resentments. Yet the last time I checked it was groups of these activists that gained women the right to vote, brought civil rights to the forefront of 60's politics, and more recently have spread the ideals of equal rights for all american's regardless of sexual orientation. I'm sure if the founding fathers sat at home "non-aggressively" we would have formed this nation that is based on rights.

So thats the other point, Will complains about "the inability of people nowadays to recommend this or that health-care policy as merely wise or just. Each proposal must be invested with the dignity of a right." I'm thinking Will missed the 5th grade class that covered the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The fact is we argue over our rights, everyday legislation is debated over how those rights will affect our daily lives. Somewhere in the DofI it notes that "life" is one of our unalienable rights, well George I would imagine thats why policy makers are debating healthcare in the context of "rights."

In 1944 FDR suggested that the nation should recognize a Second Bill of Rights, he included a job with a living wage, education, and health care. With unemployment reaching almost 10% and our education system in shambles (cough, cough NCLB) health care seems like the most promising objective we can reach for. If it takes some whole foods shopping "rights talkers" in congress to reach one of FDR's goals, go for it. George Will is mistaken "rights talkers" don't tend toward moral inflation we create it. In the 1960's a vast majority of Americans disagreed with the Civil Rights movement, but through moral inflation we not only passed legislation but eventually changed the mind set of the public. Can the same not be done for Same-Sex marriage and Healthcare?

1 comment:

  1. I think its fair to say our education system has been in shambles for a really long time, not just since NCLB got enacted.

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