The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #108444   Message #2262423
Posted By: Bee-dubya-ell
14-Feb-08 - 01:47 PM
Thread Name: BS: Hillary Tapped Out???
Subject: RE: BS: Hillary Tapped Out???
Driving is a privilege, not a right. That gives the state the right to establish pretty much whatever laws it wants regarding driving and vehicle ownership, including requiring insurance coverage. The flip side is that anyone who doesn't want to pay for auto insurance is perfectly free to take the bus. Those who choose not to avail themselves of the privilege don't have to pay for it.

Voting is a right, not a privilege. A state cannot charge anything for that right. "Poll taxes" were outlawed years ago, and recent court cases have ruled that states which require photo ID for voting must provide such IDs free of charge. Of course, that's not to say exercising rights carries no financial costs, but those costs are paid through taxes, which all governments have an undeniable right to levy.

Health care? Nobody seems to be able to decide whether it's a right or a privilege. If it's available only to those who are capable of paying, it's obviously a privilege. If it's available to anyone who needs it, free of out-of-pocket charge and financed through taxes, it's plainly a right. If everyone is required to pay for it by way of health insurance premiums, it's neither. A right is free of charge. A privilege carries the option of saying "No thanks." If it isn't free, and it isn't optional, it's extortion.