Sanders Pitches ‘Right’ to Healthcare: Cruz Checks Swing

found online by Raymond

 
From libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara at Principled Perspectives:

What’s disappointing is that Cruz clearly understands rights. Why didn’t he just come out and say it?: Rights are guarantees to freedom of action to pursue your own goals and flourishing, not a automatic claim on goods and services that others must be forced to provide.

Cruz certainly implied it. But he needn’t have relied on implication. He quotes from the Declaration of Independence, which guarantees the right to the pursuit, not “access,” to happiness. Pursuit is a much clearer term: “So what is a right is the pursuit of health care” would have been a better line. Having “access” implies getting it. By fudging it, Cruz gave Sanders a great opening: “She has access. But she doesn’t have enough money.” Sanders is right on Cruz’s own terms, and he took full advantage it. If you’re going to argue for a right to access, then you’re implying that there is a right to access the money to pay for it.

Cruz needn’t have set himself up this way.

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One thought on “Sanders Pitches ‘Right’ to Healthcare: Cruz Checks Swing”

  1. What about rights to legal counsel and trial by jury? These things require services from other people, who often must be forced to provide them.

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