The words, “I have the right to/not to (fill in the blank),” are being heard around the United States a lot these days. It’s true. We Americans have a multitude of rights as compared to billions around the world.
Having been out of school for quite some time (and not being a history buff), I decided to review some basic rights that we do have here, especially those that were unique to a democratic nation just feeling its way to a new path to being in a land far from its original roots.
One vital “gift” we citizens (age 18 and above) possess is that we each are granted the privilege of the right to vote. The trouble with rights is that sometimes we aren’t sure we really want them; maybe we don’t feel we know enough to make informed decisions or perhaps it’s just easier to let others carry that load. I’ve felt ill-prepared, left some lines or boxes blank and have missed some local elections, and, well, failed to do my part.
