One of the polls has an unexpected result (to me), and I’m wondering if the question was worded poorly or if I’ve uncovered a belief that needs some attention.
The question was
Do you have an inalienable right to buy an American Car?”
The question was a few wrinkles to it, and was the setup for the next question of whether you have an inalienable right to buy a car that gets 15 mpg?…
The #1 answer coming back is
“Nobody has a right to own a car – it’s a privilege”
An “inalienable right” is a right given to you by God merely because you are alive. Rights cannot be taken away by government, and you can’t trade away your inalienable rights in exchange for something else.
The right to own property is a very fundamental right in the United States. Without that as a right, none of the other rights matter. The 5th amendment is pretty clear (unless perhaps you’re a bright latina woman who grew up poor in the Bronx)
“no person […] shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
The question did not ask “Do you have the right to drive a car?” (which the courts have said is a privilege)
My father was legally blind, but he had a right to own a car. His children had a license that granted them the revocable privilege to drive the car. You can have the right to own a car without having the privilege to drive a car. (which can thoroughly confuse the DMV and insurance agents). There are blind people who hire someone to assist them and they own the car and give their helper permission to drive the car (to go to the store, for instance).
The question was also not asking if you had a right to buy a new American car – and there is no indication at this time that any of the big three car companies are going to stop making cars.
I was hoping? people would latch onto the idea that Right to Own Property is a fundamental right, and that Amendment #10 which says unless the Constitution specifcally grants a power to Congress (based on the consent of the governed) that Congress shall make no law that infringes on the right to own property. Yes, I’m an extremist. States do have the right to limit how you use property. While you have a right to own and “bear” a gun, you don’t have a right to point it at someone’s head and demand their property, and you don’t have a right to discharge the gun recklessly.
So what answer could I have put in to convey that you have a right to own any car you want (even if it gets 15 mpg and spews out co2)? or are we at the point now that people believe we only have the rights that Congress says we have?
Anyone out there, or am I just talking to myself?