Supervisors move forward on UDA plan - Offical Contest Rules

6
Thursday
December 16, 2010
Honoring Bill of Rights Day
Guest Column by Dr. Mark W.
Hendrickson
December 15 is Bill of Rights
Day. This year is the 219th anniversary
of the adoption of the first 10
amendments to the United States
Constitution—the Bill of Rights.
Few Americans notice Bill of Rights
Day. That isn’t surprising, since we
have done such a poor job of upholding
and abiding by its provisions.
Rather than debate individual
amendments, let’s consider a more
fundamental problem: We poorly
understand the elementary concept
of rights. Many Americans, both conservative
and liberal, further cloud the
issue by asserting that responsibilities
frequently eclipse rights.
To the founders, government’s
sole legitimate purpose is to protect
our rights. The Declaration of
Independence specifies two essential
points we need to understand about
our rights: 1) They are God-given; 2)
they are inalienable.
Divine authority is a stumbling
block for some Americans, but it is
the second point that is the immediate
issue. That our basic rights are inalienable
means, simply and unequivocally:
No person or group of persons,
including government, is justified in
trespassing upon anyone’s rights—
that is, in taking life, liberty or property
from another—except via due process
of law as a penalty for having harmed
or violated someone else’s life, liberty,
or property. One person’s rights end
where another person’s rights begin.
The clear understanding of our
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fundamental rights has eroded over
the decades. The property right has
suffered the greatest damage. Under
the influence of progressive/socialist
ideas, the traditional American negative
right to not have somebody take
one’s property has been corrupted and
inverted into a positive premise.
One of the most famous examples
of this inverted concept of rights was
President Franklin Roosevelt’s socalled
“Economic Bill of Rights.” In
1944, FDR asserted that Americans
had a “right to a useful and remunerative
job,” “a decent home,” “adequate
medical care,” “a good education,” etc.
Nobody objects to decent jobs,
homes, health care, and education,
but these good things can’t be “rights.”
If one person has a legal right to have
a home, then other people must be
compelled to provide that home. That
would violate those citizens’ rights
to their own liberty and property. In
other words, “rights” in FDR’s sense
negates “rights” in the founders’ sense.
The assertion that we have become
too “rights-centered” and that we need
to strike a balance between rights and
responsibilities is inaccurate and misleading.
First, our Republic has always been
rights-centered—after all, we have a
Bill of Rights. Second, no mature adult
denies that we have responsibilities.
Citizens have at least three primary
responsibilities in our constitutional,
rights-based order: First, to respect the
rights of others; second, to provide for
self and dependents; third, to find a
see Editorial > page 7
Joy Monopoli
Publisher
Ken Odor
Interim Editor
Charles Leffler
Sports Editor
Pam Sanders
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OPINION: Editorial, Letters to the Editor
A thank you from Parks
and Recreation
Goochland County Parks &
Recreation would like to take the
opportunity to thank all of the individuals
and collective organizations
for their participation and support of
the Community Tree Lighting event
held on Friday, December 10th, 2010.
The Department is especially
appreciative to the Goochland Family
YMCA for their partnership and support
throughout the planning, design,
and implementation of the event.
Parks and Recreation would
also like to thank the following
County Administration employees
Letters to the Editor
and Departments who contributed
their time and effort to make the
event a great success; Ms. Rebecca
Dickson, County Administrator, Mr.
& Mrs. William Quarles, Chairman,
Board of <strong>Supervisors</strong>, Chief McKay,
Dennis Gordon and Company 5 of
Goochland County Fire & Rescue,
Lieutenant Pleasants & Goochland
County Sheriff’s Deputies, Christy
Mason of the Health Department,
Mike Minnix & Dominion Resources,
the Pamunkey Regional Library, Susan
Duty & the Goochland High School
Chorus, Sonny Turner of Goochland
County Schools, J. Sargeant Reynolds,
Lowe’s, Discover Goochland, Cavell
Phillips & WZEZ, and of course,
Santa Claus!
Want more? Visit us on the web at
www.goochlandgazette.com
CONTACT THE GOOCHLAND GAZETTE
Joy Monopoli Publisher (804) 239-2280 Fax: (804) 819-5529
Ken Odor Interim Editor (804) 627-3249 Fax: (804) 775-4066
Charlie Leffl er Sports Editor (804) 543-9201 Fax: (804) 775-4082
Pam Sanders Sales Manager (804) 746-1235
Stephanie Childrey Sales Executive (804) 814-7780 Fax: (804) 775-4051
Cindy Grant Classifi eds (804) 746-1235x0 Fax: (804) 730-0476
Contact us Toll Free - (877) 888-0449 • Offi ce - (804) 746-1235 ext 0
Mailing Address - P.O. Box 1118, Mechanicsville, VA 23111
We also want to give a huge
thank you to all of the County
Administration Staff who supported
this event with their time and
resources for the cookie drive.
Goochland County Parks and
Recreation appreciates the community’s
participation and continued
support of department sponsored
events. We look <strong>forward</strong> to your
attendance at future events as well
as your involvement in department
sponsored programs.
Goochland County Parks &
Recreation Department
see Letters > page 7
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