Healthcare Is Not A Right

Rights are those things that are naturally born to an individual (property rights), or in some cases to protect those natural rights from being usurped unjustly (right to a fair trial). All natural rigths extend from the right of property, the ability to own one's own body and by extention those things created by or earned in trade from the use of that body. Without the right to own one's body, there is no right to free speech or free thought, because those are things derived from the body. The right to gun ownership extends from the right to collect more property through trade of either effort or property and to protect that property. And so on.

Other things which are not natural to the human condition, may be essential, but are not rights. This includes such things as food, healthcare, and even guns, yes you have the right to trade for these things, but not have them provided. The government cannot create rights, only protect those which are natural to the human condition.

Addendum: Some "rights" in the Bill of Rights extend from the fact that we the governed created the government and impose restrictions on it to secure our natural rights, this is the case with jury trials and the right to a lawyer. Healthcare does not fall into this either.

The underlying assumption

For every political argument there must be an underlying assumption. Currently both parties claim that assumption is freedom. But if we take that assumption to it's logical end, neither parties policies make any sense.

If one's underlying assumption is freedom, then ponder this: freedom comes from the right of each to do with their property as they wish. That property starts at their own body and extends to anything earned under contractural labour by them.

If one has a right to their own body, how can anyone deny them the abuse of that right; prostitution, drug use or anything else.

If one owns those things which are property by extension; what right does anyone have to confiscate that property? Most would say none, but are taxes not a confiscation of this property.

By the US constitution, the legitimate use of government power is the protection of rights. So, no matter how much things are needed by others, it is not under the constitutional right of the government to take from one and give to another.

Yes, people need health care; but if the government undermines property rights to give health care, what stops them from undermining property rights for any other reason?

We need a new healthcare system, but allowing the government to steal from people is not the answer; granting the government unconstitutional power never is the answer.