Of Rights and Responsibilities
by Senator Brent Hill
Few words penned by our nation’s Founders have been so distorted over time as the word “right.” The great truths found in references to inalienable rights, the Bill of Rights, and God-given rights have deteriorated into a multitude of other supposed “rights” to which all Americans are somehow entitled: the right to home ownership, the right to a job, the right to affordable insurance, the right to health care, and on and on.
This overindulgence in individual rights is crushing the acceptance of individual responsibility. Our country cannot flourish by continually adding to its inventory of entitlements cloaked as rights. Individual responsibilities such as integrity, civility, family, self-reliance, community involvement, respect for the law, and devotion to the common good are essential for the preservation of a free society. As former State Supreme Court Justice and religious leader Dallin H. Oaks explains: “Currently we are increasing rights and weakening responsibilities, and it is leading our nation down the road toward moral and civic bankruptcy. If we are to raise our general welfare, we must strengthen our sense of individual responsibility for the welfare of others and the good of society at large” (Mercer Law Review).
The true patriots in our history are not those who demanded and secured their individual rights. Such service is self-service. True patriotism—indeed, heroism—comes with embracing our responsibilities as American citizens. Too many people demand rights without the accompanying responsibilities. They demand a guaranteed minimum wage without the responsibility of seeking education or training. They demand tenure without the responsibility to continually improve their skills and enhance their value to their employer. They demand health care without sacrificing to buy insurance. They demand a free education, meals included, while neglecting their parental responsibilities to teach, nourish and care for their children.
Even the fundamental rights guaranteed by our inspired Constitution do not come without responsibility. Hiding behind the Bill of Rights, too many crusaders demand freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to bear arms without accepting the responsibility to speak truth, print decency, and to use guns responsibly. Inherent in every right is responsibility.
Advocating civil rights while neglecting civil responsibilities will create a burden that will bring even the greatest of nations to its knees. No society is strong enough to expand the rights of its citizens without endorsing the performance of duties that accompany such rights. If we the people are going to spend, we must be responsible for paying the bills—not leave massive debt for our children to pay. If we the people want our children to have a quality education, we must be responsible for financing adequate facilities, quality teachers and capable administrators.
At a time when most of our public discourse revolves around rights, we need patriotic citizens who are willing to assume the responsibilities that accompany their rights. As those citizens step forward, they will not only protect our fundamental rights, but help our families prosper in a nation of virtue, freedom and security.