Judging from recent commentary, it seems the definitions of rights and privileges have been conflated in our political discourse.

To start: A legal right is an action that an individual can take that cannot be legally infringed by other people or by the government. Natural rights for American citizens are defined in the second sentence of the Declaration, and are constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights. Logically, one person’s rights cannot contradict another person’s Rights; else they cannot be considered rights.

A privilege always requires infringement of one person’s rights to provide an unearned benefit to another person. Hence, all subsidies, tax credits and involuntary wealth transfers are privileges for some, but infringe on others’ rights. Consider energy subsidies, welfare and Social Security (literally a Ponzi scheme as currently defined).

When Social Security flops in 2035, the young will be expected to pay even more to subsidize retirees because retirees deem Social Security to be their “right.” The young will disagree with this privilege. The battle will pit young Rights vs. old Privilege.

Affirmative Action (giving special Privileges based on race, gender, etc.) was found unconstitutional because it infringes on the Rights of some in order to give special privileges to others. Yet DEI is merely re-branded Affirmative Action. By the mathematics of Intersectionality (from Critical Race Theory) roughly 80% of the population has its Rights infringed by DEI. Thus, justice demands an end to all DEI.

The commentary also alluded to “Healthcare Rights” – positing that the government should provide everyone with (ostensibly) free healthcare. Apparently doctors, nurses and Big Pharma must work for free under this arrangement.

So where does such a right to healthcare exist? Nowhere. But let’s look at Canada, where Bernie Sanders and AOC claim everyone has this mythical right to free healthcare. Is healthcare actually a right in Canada? It is certainly not free by any means.

Canada does have a “universal” healthcare system (a government monopoly) into which almost everyone is forced to pay, and others are given the privilege of freeloading. But Canadian healthcare is most famous for the number of people who are denied care, and for long wait times for things as simple as an MRI or routine corrective surgery. More people in British Columbia die waiting in line for care than die from drug overdoses (Fraser 2024), and BC has no shortage of drug overdoses.

More importantly, a person who has been denied healthcare under Canada’s universal system cannot legally obtain healthcare in Canada outside the Government monopoly. Maybe that is why so many Canadian license plates can be seen in the parking lots of US hospitals along the border. Canadians leave Canada and self-pay in the US if they can afford it. However, all the healthcare you cannot obtain in Canada is definitely free. Is this what Bernie & AOC mean by a right to free healthcare?

Leftist hero Luigi Mangione assassinated a healthcare executive a couple months ago, ostensibly because somebody was denied care under the terms of their policy.

But if he was Canadian, which bureaucrat would Mangione have shot to protest their denials?

Another perplexing part of recent commentary regards purported starvation in Gaza. Strangely, billions of dollars in humanitarian USAID aid to Palestinians disappeared over the years, mostly laundered to buy weapons and expensive houses for the Hamas leadership. Yet, the commentary offers no condemnation for the Hamas terror attack on Israeli civilians in October 2023, and no condemnation for Hamas putting Jewish babies in ovens to cook them alive.

Likewise there is no condemnation for Hamas purposely putting military facilities within civilian centers like Hospitals (common tactic for big brave Jihadis). However, we did hear from one local vocal feminist ELF commentator that violent mass rape by Hamas terrorists against Israeli women “is just a normal part of war that we should accept”. You know who you are.

The commentary affirms Leftist support for the Houthis, an anti-democracy Iranian proxy Shiite terror group that has destroyed Yemen and murdered hundreds of thousands of their fellow Muslims. Clearly the Left openly proclaims their support for murderous anti-democracy terrorists, all while Houthis are the leading cause of death among Muslims.

The fascinating commentary also claims that an illegal alien in the U.S. was arrested for expressing an opinion. (LOL) She was arrested for illegal entry, not for an opinion. But why does the Left not condemn the anti-democracy Leftist Latino governments for creating the problems leading to mass migration? Oops – answered our own question. The Left supports anti-democracy totalitarian Marxists.

By the way, the Administration is not refusing to bring Maryland’s All-American son Obrego-Garcia back to the U.S. El Salvador is refusing to release him because he is a citizen of El Salvador and is wanted on a variety of charges there.

Perhaps the people complaining about Obrego-Carcia have spent too much time ingesting hay seeds in the BS passed by Rachel Maddow, the same professional liar that told us the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.

Should we feel sorry for Joy Reid? She was fired by her own Leftist network because her nonsensical rhetoric was so ridiculous that even Leftists couldn’t watch it anymore! She was bad for the Leftist brand, so out she goes! Clearly, Reid’s right to free speech did not imply an obligation on anyone else’s part to listen to her.

Finally, a commentator referred to DOGE’s forensic audits as “hacking,” but methinks the Left is just upset because their corrupt taxpayer-funded gravy train was exposed by DOGE auditors. It sounds like more whine from sour grapes. Soros must be apoplectic.

The Leftists’ rights to free speech is not contested here. We thank them for revealing who they really are by supporting criminal alien gangs, terrorists, the assault on proper science, and the assault on taxpayers by the Deep State. You will know them by the things they do.

Let them speak.

Michael Dee is a Silver Creek resident and Scott Axelson resides in Jamestown.