Confusing privileges with rights is dangerous to a society’s future health

Within two generations, a generation being 30 years in the USA in genealogy terms, many things in the USA are now taken as normal human expectations. Things like TV, telephones, automobiles, good health and an opportunity for a long life, having babies in a hospital, forced air heat with a thermostat, and even running water and flush toilets, with splinter-free toilet paper, are just expected as “normal”. One has only to live overseas to know such “normal” things are in fact privileges, and not rights, though we all wish they were rights, as in God given. My attention-gainer occurred while staying at a Ryokan (a traditional Japanese hotel) in Hiroshima near the train station. There the Ryokan had upgraded to a modern western flush toilet, vice the traditional squat toilet, but the whole setup still included stick-figure instructions on how to use the flush toilet. And all this was in the mid 1980’s, and Japan is a pretty modern country.

All this is a lead-in to a lifetime of observations, and seeing trends that may be adverse to our USA future, and my family’s future. The practical effects of confusing rights and privileges is potentially harmful.

First, the obvious trend. All these obvious things like TV, telephones, public electricity, good public health policies and practices, safe food, heat, clean running water and dirty water treatment, and yes, flush toilets with splinter-free toilet paper did not happen overnight. Our American ancestors did all this over time using hard work, legislation, and sacrifice that would make the most spoiled environmentalist proud. But I also suspect our ancestors intent was more socialist, as they provided what we enjoy today, a quality of life that exceeds what the royalty and elites had a few hundred years ago. Talk about we serfs doing well here in the new world. Also obvious is that all this needs maintenance, physical and political, since none of what has been achieved is God given.

The second obvious trend has two elements. One is that so many of our fellow Americans, and their politicians, think they can build on the work of their USA ancestors since all they have today is automatic and God given. If they are wrong, and they are, they are sacrificing our future on their bad judgments and good intents and big egos (some even diminish their ancestors) that will ultimately drag us back to some old world state of serfdom. Two, or second, is that our present wonderful state for we “serfs” is also being dragged down by pandering to our USA middle class. The old time status quo politicians have made careers out of mining our national wealth over the last five decades by redistributing our income taxes from those who create the income and taxes to those who want the benefits and vote in these politicians. The result is now culminating in our times, where promised benefits are dragging down, budget wise, all these most wonderful things that we “serfs” now enjoy, and expect. The obvious question is begged, just what is our USA priority when we cannot afford it all?

There is one obvious business solution. Call it taking care of the main customers. The political version is to recognize and support and fund the basics less we even lose what has already been achieved. Much change is in the air. Businesses come and go, and so do political parties.