What's yours is yours; what's mine is mine

A right, by its nature, is free. "All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights-" so wrote Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.

It costs government nothing to exercise my God given rights to free speech, to keep and bear arms and to be secure in my possessions and papers against unreasonable search and seizure.

We hear some misguided persons today calling for the government to make health care a right. In order to accomplish this, a huge government bureaucracy would be instituted along with mandatory taxation to pay for the program. That, by definition, is no right; but rather another arrogation of government power not delegated to it by "We The People."

If government has to confiscate my property (my hard earned money) to provide your "right," then no right exists. First among rights is the right to keep your own property. You can keep or distribute your property as you see fit and I'll do the same with mine.

No one has a "right" to medical care, education or government redistribution of wealth programs known as welfare. These are all things best provided by the private sector. Remember, governments charge hefty administration fees to implement these programs and whatever the government can do, the private sector can do cheaper and more efficiently. There is not one thing that the federal government does well (or even mediocre) or cost effectively.

Let's at least be consistent. If you are going to tax me to provide this supposed right to health care, then the government should provide all of us with arms, since that's a right, too.

Jeff Lonigro

Saint Charles