I read with interest the letter from John Murphy of Franklin (“Is universal health care a right or a privilege for Americans?” Aug. 19) and would like to share some thoughts on this subject.

On many of the points raised, Mr. Murphy and I would agree: The populace is very anxious and untrusting of our government, and rightly so. It does seem that our country has been slowly strolling toward socialism for decades and now we are at a full sprint. Policies that would have been unthinkable to our founding fathers have been slowly but surely by small increments passed into law, and today the concepts of individualism have given way to a victim mentality, where even those who know and understand the history of our country, as well as the history of socialism, have a sense that it is permissible to take “from each according to his ability” and give the product of his time and effort “to each according to his need.”

Our Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This indicates that rights are given by our Creator, not by our governing officials.

If our representatives are elected by us, and are conceptually our paid employees, then how on earth does it fall to them to “allow” us to have certain rights or not as they might deem appropriate? How are we to know what the “unalienable rights” are? I would submit that they include, but are definitely not limited to, things like the right to bear and raise children, own property, eat as we please and worship God. Does this sound ridiculous? Are there countries where these rights are suppressed by governments? Absolutely. Which countries are these? They are countries ruled by socialism, fascism and communism. Given to men by the Creator, these rights still exist in those countries but are suppressed, and acting on those rights is punishable.

As Americans we also have specific rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, including the rights to free speech, to keep and bear arms, to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure, and to trial by jury, among others. Note that the Ninth Amendment mentions other rights “retained by the people.” While these rights are intentionally not specified, they are generally assumed to include such ideas as the right to travel and the right to presumption of innocence and similar ideas that seem to fit in well with the “unalienable rights” discussed above.

How then is a privilege defined? “A special advantage, immunity, or benefit not enjoyed by all, or that may be enjoyed only under special conditions.” Who determines societal privileges? We, the people, do this en masse by setting up powers and authorities who we hope will represent our best interests as a group (in other words, government). As they should, governing bodies grant privileges to law-abiding citizens and deny privileges (and even some rights) to those who are found by their peers not to have conformed to our laws. The privilege of driving a vehicle can be restricted by a finding of unlawful behavior. Nationally, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote because of laws that prohibit voting by people with felony convictions. The worst offenders among us may even be denied the right to life by our penal system, and many would agree that our government has an obligation to the law-abiding to deny some privileges and some rights to some who violate our laws. So, privileges are granted by the people to the people.

Where does health care fall in this continuum? It does not enter this arena at all, whatsoever. Why? Because the health care industry is just that, an industry composed of thousands of independent businesses, large and small. Does your neighbor have the authority to force you to give to him the property that you own? Absolutely not. Does the government have the authority to force any private business, owned by people like ourselves, to now operate in a way dictated by another who has no ownership of that business? Absolutely not, and if you disagree, please show me the Constitutional article, section or amendment from which that authority derives.

Health care is neither a right nor a privilege, but a commodity which is able to be purchased from a business entity, in the same way that one would purchase a loaf of bread or an automobile. What gives our government the authority to dictate to the seller of bread to whom he must sell and for what price? If we can’t afford the bread, we can make our own bread, but we can’t ask the government to force the baker to give us the bread. Like it or not, health care is identical. If we can’t afford it (or just don’t care to buy it), then we go without it, just as we would do without anything else we can’t afford.

There are faith-based organizations and benevolent charities who can and will help those who need care, and if the people of this country were not so incredibly overtaxed, we would have more disposable income with which to help our own family members and to give to those charities as well.

I believe that this is where we should begin. Primarily and immediately, keep the government out of our business and our businesses, including health care. Get them out of the businesses they’re already in which can be done by private enterprise. Lower our taxes so we the people can help our families and friends in need. Any time the government, on any level, attempts to pass a bill into law, require a reference to the constitutional article or amendment which would give them the authority to pass that bill into law.

Finally, free enterprise and the capitalistic system always work to provide the best product for the best price, anytime and anywhere, without exception, when that system is allowed to operate free of government intervention, and especially so when done under the influence of scriptural Christian principles. These facts, along with God’s blessing, are what made our country the strongest and most vibrant economy in the world in an amazingly short span of time. If we continue to walk away from these ideals, there is no doubt that our freedoms and liberties, as well as our rights and privileges, will soon be nonexistent.