Today is Bill of Rights Day

Today is a day to reflect on basic concepts. I often wonder if our elected officials even understand the meaning of a right. Do they really believe individuals have rights? A guiding principle in the founding of this great country is the recognition of individual rights – specifically, property rights. Today, Bill of Rights Day, let us revisit the concept of rights.

A right is based on the principle of freedom of action, but imposes no obligation on other individuals. To violate individuals’ rights means to force them to act against their own judgment. There are only two possible violators of individuals’ rights – criminals and governments.

An individual who uses physical force against others is a criminal. However, when our elected officials use the strong arm of government to impose an unchosen obligation upon individuals it is said to be “for the common good” or “to better our society.”

This use of government raises a couple serious questions: Which individuals should be burdened with the unchosen obligation to “better the society,” and which individuals should be the beneficiaries of such work?

Any system of government that uses its powers to “better society” by imposing unchosen obligations on some individuals while, at the same time claiming to be a champion of freedom is simply immoral.

Our forefathers saw the contradiction in allowing our free society to use physical force by its government as a means to broaden its scope of operation – no matter how great the cause. They were deliberate in their creation of our government as it was to protect people from criminals and the Constitution was written to protect people from the government.

The Bill of Rights was written explicitly to declare that individual rights surpass any public or social power.

Douglas Gryboski

Colorado Springs

Step up, take care of our own

Re: “Wake up America”, Dec. 8. George Douglas was correct with his remarks. There are hundreds of homeless right here in our beautiful city.

They have worked, paid into Social Security, raised children, voted and fought for our freedom and much more, before they fell on hard times. They’ve lost their homes, their jobs. And how do we help them? These American citizens? I’ll tell you. We don’t. We kick them to the curb, to go hungry, to sleep in doorways. Why? To make room for refugees, who disrespect our customs and traditions, our government and want us to change for them.

They expect us to shelter them, feed them, etc. I’m all for helping, but what happened to ‘charity begins at home.’ Give our homeless and elderly, our veterans, our American citizens a monthly check for $1,850 plus $850 to relocate.

They only need a boost. They don’t want a “free ride”, only a helping hand in the land of the “home of the brave”.

Or is it? If us, as Americans, entered into their country we’d be killed or imprisoned. We wouldn’t be helped or welcomed. So please, as Americans who love and respect this great country, let us protect our freedom, our customs, our traditions and step forward to help our own brothers and sisters.

Show the world how we step up and take care of our own, right here in the United States of America.

Connie Robinson

Colorado Springs

A building we can enjoy seeing

There are plans afoot for a huge new hospital building at Centennial and Fillmore, a very visible hill in our city. There are also plans afoot for a nifty new visitors center on top of Pikes Peak. Is there a way to get the Pikes Peak planners to cross-pollinate with the hospital planners? Imagine looking up at that very visible hill and seeing a hospital that looked like one of the plans we saw for the Visitors Center. Or a space ship? Or the Sydney Opera House? Or the Air Force Chapel? Or a beautiful structure like Neuschwanstein Castle?

If they must build a hospital up there, please make it a building that we can actually enjoy seeing and showing to visitors.

Beth Jones

Colorado Springs

No time to waste on Trump

To be sure, I have been less than thrilled with Donald Trump’s rhetoric on any number of occasions. Though I am a Democrat, I would not be averse to a Republican president should he or she embody the attitudes and aspirations I personally hold dear.

Having said that however, it struck me that Trump cannot be our president even if he should (by some perversion of national reason) be duly elected. Do we not remember that the oath of office, which a president-elect takes on January the 20th, includes the sworn statement to ” defend the constitution of the United States of America?”

Trump’s statements clearly indicate that he could not do so, holding to his mistaken ideas concerning who qualifies as “an American,” who ought to be prohibited from entry into our country, and what group or groups need to be “monitored” merely because of how they address the Almighty.

If Trump stands on the Capitol steps on Jan. 20. 1917, he is either swearing to a lie, or he is a man of no visible integrity. In either case, he is clearly disqualified, legally and ethically, to even be considered for the presidency. (I would add that several other candidates might fall into the same category, given their “ethnic” or “religious” bias.)

Isn’t it time that we Americans forget “The Donald” and focus on what we really need to be doing to keep our beloved country the land of the free and the home of the brave? There’s much to be done and no time to waste listening to the rantings of Trump and those of like mind.

Rev. William H. Duffe

Easthampton, MA

Dreading the possibility of Trump

I dread the possibility that my party might actually nominate someone for the presidency who, like Donald Trump, routinely exhibits the emotional maturity and vocabulary of a ten-year old. Perhaps the most fitting characterization of Trump suggested to date is the crass loudmouth Al Czervik, portrayed by the late Rodney Dangerfield in the 1980 movie Caddyshack.

In the film, Dangerfield’s character was a rude, crude, obnoxious and overbearing rich everyman, while his trademark stand-up comedy routine shtick was to incessantly complain, “I don’t get no respect” – all just like Donald Trump.

Gerald Spaulding

Colorado Springs