Quote from RCG Trader:
You mean the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
Those rights?
Large segments of the population stood actively disenfranchised at the time of the declaration. Did the founders believe what they wrote, or not?
Yes, those rights. Every man has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Of course they believed what they wrote.
The issue then came to the populace at the time to choose what race would receive the definition of "man". The populace, and the government choose poorly. These rights are inalienable. Given to every human being (or should be) regardless of race, nationality, color of skin, gender, sexual preference, etc.
But that is where it should stop. Having these rights does not mean people have the right for someone to treat them if they become ill and cannot afford it. It does not mean they have the right to food stamps or unemployment benefits if they lose their job, or worse yet - decide to not work. They do not have a right to keep on living if they decide to stop taking care of themselves, or stop trying to better themselves.
The rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are rights of ownership. All men have the right to own these rights, but just like anything, they have to be seized. They are not born with, and they require payment to be given - in desire. Everyone has the right to eat food, for example, but they must work to acquire that food. They do not have the right to free food, because that free food comes from someone else's expense. When you take that food away from another, you infringe upon their rights.
That's the problem in the equation today.