Allen October 21st, 2004
May the Government Make Us Truly Thankful.
Doesn’t sound right to me. What about you?
James K. Glassman asks Who, or What, Grants Us Our Rights?
He points out the huge gaffe committed by Kerry in the third debate. I missed it. Let’s see if you can do better than I can. Here it is:
Because we are the United States of America, we’re a country with a great, unbelievable Constitution, with rights that we afford people, that you can’t discriminate in the workplace. You can’t discriminate in the rights that you afford people.
Did you spot it? I sure didn’t even the second time. Sounds pretty good to me. I like what he said. Is this really a gaffe? Re-read it and then read this:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
That’s the preamble to the Constitution. While it doesn’t have the force of law, it hints at what the problem is. Perhaps if we look at an even earlier document (the Declaration of Independence), we can spot the gaffe in Kerry’s text.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed,
Still no? Let’s try it with some bold text.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed,
From Mr. Glassman’s essay:
The key phrase was “rights that we afford people.” This was no mistake. He said it twice.
Kerry believes that the United States government, through the Constitution, “affords” rights to Americans. My dictionary defines “afford,” in this context as “give, grant, confer.” In other words, we fortunate, benighted Americans have a country, a government that grants us rights.
That’s an utterly inaccurate reading of the great documents of the founding of this nation. Our government does not grant us any rights at all. On the contrary, Americans start off with rights, and it is we who grant the government certain limited powers to protect those rights.
I’m astounded that Senator Kerry said it. I’m even more astounded that I didn’t catch it. That says a lot about both of us.
Kerry sees government as a great benefactor, bestowing gifts on us (paid for with our own money), as long as we behave in ways that government approves.
Bush, on Oct. 13, eloquently expressed the opposing vision: “I believe the role of government is to stand side by side with our citizens to help them realize their dreams, not tell citizens how to live their lives.” The founders would agree.
From these two different visions come different policies. Bush wants lower taxes because “it’s your money.” Kerry wants higher taxes so he can build, for example, a nationalized health care system.
Bush will preserve Social Security for people now getting benefits, but he thinks “younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of their own money and put it in a personal savings account.” In an “ownership society,” people are free to control their own assets, their own destiny. Government guards that freedom.
In the debate, Kerry offered no plan to save Social Security. Instead, he blasted Bush’s reform as “an invitation to disaster.” He doesn’t think that Americans can make decisions about big things; he wants government to grant rights and benefits.