Rights are born from the exercise of Power

If a Right can exist only by having the power to defend it, it is not a right that exist as an objective reality. It is a right conceived in the mind and agreed to by the holders of the greatest power. When the greatest power center [Sovereign Government] declines to protect the "Right" it becomes inoperable.

That which can be changed is by definition not an absolute unalienable right. It is rather a Right that the society aspired to, but decided that the former "Right" was actually detrimental to the best interest of the holders of power in the society.

In a democracy that would be the will of the majority of citizens . In a Oligarch or dictatorship that would be the will of a small interest group. In either case it remains a privilege granted by power holders as long as the interest of the power holders benefit from the granted privilege.. If you cannot defend a "Right" it is not unalienable.

Human Rights are cultural concepts of a Society. The do not exist as objective reality. If a Society adopts the concept of private ownership of property because they believe it will be used more efficiently in producing the needs of that Society, it will effectively be a Human Right supported and protected by that Society.

But no Society actually supports the concept of absolute ownership of property. It is tempered with the levying of property taxes to contribute to the Commonshare of all who are governed by the Society. It is also subject to the doctrine of Imminent Domain that allows the Society to reclaim the property for the Common Good of all Society.

Based on these two conditions the Right of Ownership is demonstrably a privilege and not an absolute individual human right. It is obvious that an individual cannot defend the possession of property against superior force unless he has the force of Society itself providing him cover. No individual can exist independent of the Community in which he lives. Everything he possesses exist because of the cooperative participation of the Labor of others. No one produces himself anything by himself. His right to private use of property is by definition a privilege granted by the whole Community. 

  copyright © William Hodge 2014 

Government and Capitalism Partnership

I have long been writing about the duel nature of motivation in human being that determine their actions. Men are both competitive and cooperative. Competitiveness tends to improve performance and cooperation tends to bring common goals to the Society.

Due to increase efficiency in innovation and automation in the process of producing goods & service. It is accelerating to the level of making labor a moot point in production of the essential necessities [food, shelter, medicine, and skill training] of securing life for all.

The argument against my passion for Government intervention in provideing the basics of life is that we have always been able to supply jobs by increasing the non-basic goods & services we produce for humans to consume. The problem with this argument is reflected in the stress we are putting on the resources and ecology of the earth upon which all life depends. We cannot continue to avoid the obligation to insure Freedom from Want by making the claim that Jobs from Junk will save Corporate Capitalism [not free markets] from the need to sacrifice for the security of a balanced society.