Societal Obligations

[Martin Hash]

We are only responsible for the obligations we take on ourselves. That simple statement divides me from the extreme left of the Democratic Party & the extreme right of the Republican Party. No one is owed anything. You are responsible for yourself. Where the slippery slope comes in is when we join together as a group and decide what society is going to provide to everyone? We know we want a military, and a national guard, and a police force, and the courts; and smaller things – like roads, utilities, schools & universities, bankruptcy, and property rights. As a country, we didn’t start out thinking all those things were “rights” but we do now… And we’ve added more rights; like emancipation & suffrage & workplace protection & social security. Right now, we’re adding healthcare as a basic right. I’m sure our society will add more “rights” in the future – but that’s for the future generations. For now, we are only responsible for the specific obligations we have currently assigned to ourselves. Any other obligations you may think one person owes another - that’s what the political process is for.