What is a Right?
A right is something intrinsically given to humans by a higher power; whether that higher power is God or simply nature is up to any given person but, regardless, a right cannot be transferred to, conferred upon, or moved to any other individual.
It is also very important to realize rights are neither mutually exclusive or require sacrifice on any individuals part; that is to say, neither those exercising or waiving their rights are required to pay or give any item of value for those rights to be maintained.*
For example, with the right to free speech (in fairness, this is through constraining government) any individual has the inherit ability to think and inform others about their thoughts - regardless of how popular those thoughts may be to the state or other individuals.
The same may be said for the right to bear arms. Every human has the right to defend him or herself with whatever armaments the situation may require. This, like all rights, may only be removed by force from the State or other authoritarian figure.
Entitlements, on the other hand, are typically what (usually "progressive") individuals believe should be rights but fail to meet the most basic of requirements. Unlike rights, which are given the Higher Power, entitlements are conferred upon humanity from the State - typically with some other individual paying the - sometimes literal - cost.
For example, Finland recently declared broadband internet access is a fundamental human right. While I would agree right to free information is a right** the that broadband internet access is a right is foolish. The hardware and software infrastructures which power the networks involved cannot be maintained at zero cost, which is where the problem lies.
The irony of this so-called right is it requires individuals to lose free access to their income. The vendors involved require payment which will paid for through the taxation of the working class - thus diminishing a true right to the fruits of an individual's labor.
The same could be said for any other entitlement, including Medical coverage; doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical companies and so on all require payment which must be paid through the taxation of the populace.
It is because taxation - or any other form of payment - destroys true, inherit, rights we must never let entitlements corrupt our system of laws. Entitlements are an attractive menace; truly they are wolf in sheep's clothing.
* There is an obvious exception in regards to tyranny and slavery. However, in this country we have been blessed by the bravery and selflessness of those have come before us who have freed us from such crimes.
**Free information is a '"reverse right," so to speak. In order for free speech to be maintained, individuals must be able to acquire speeches, texts, or other documents produced by other individuals.
Are Toyotas Safe?
As much as I have enjoyed making fun of Toyota and Lexus owners in recent days for driving - supposed - death traps the reality of the situation is that Toyota makes safe, reliable, automobiles; albeit they're only as exciting as the kitchen sink.
As much as I dislike Toyota I can't deny their safety, reliability, and durability achievements. Even the guys at Top Gear couldn't destroy an old (and I mean old) pick up; and considering Top Gear, that's quite an accomplishment.
Should you get into an accident your Toyota will likely protect you. The Camry has a 5 star crash rating in every single category. That's pretty gosh-darn safe!
I emphasized should for a reason. The real Toyota question should be:
Are Toyota Drivers Safe?
No.
As it turns out Toyota owners rank the absolute worst when it comes to "safe driving;" that is to say, they get into the most vehicle crashes.
Out of the, rather large, Toyota driver pool, there is one segment that seems to be particularly prone to sudden acceleration incidents: old people.
Lets look at some very real statistics about driver age from the kind folks over at OutLawyered.com
Drivers age where available or inferred in cases of sudden acceleration:
18, 21, 21*, 20s**, 32, 34, 36, 44, 45, 47, 56, 56, 57, 58, 60, 60, 63, 60s***, 66, 68, 71, 72, 72, 75, 75, 77, 77, 79, 83, 87
*Driver was with 21-year-old friend
**Driver had girlfriend and young daughter
***Driver was picking up 67-year-old friend for church.
A few things to point out: first, the median age in that group is 60. Second, a majority of those individuals are at - or over - the median age. Third, in two of the cases where 20-somethings are involved friends are in the car. Statistically, young people are more apt to crash with friends than older drivers.
Something everyone should note is that sudden acceleration of vehicles isn't rare, isn't exclusive to Toyotas, and - I can't stress this enough - is primarily caused by human error.
General Motors and Audi have both faced sudden acceleration issues in the past. In both "major" previous cases the NHTSA explicitly stated the problem was not with a defect but rather "pedal misapplication" - which in layman's terms means stepping on the gas instead of the brake.
But then, there is the smoking gun; the perfect piece of evidence proving Toyota has a really big problem: Jim Sikes's runaway Prius. I'll just leave off with these.
I wish I Had a Studio
Careful now, this post is going to be a little bit live journal so the faint of heart should turn back now. I mean it!
As the title would suggest, I wish I had a studio; "o rly" one might say. I came to this conclusion after trying to find a place to start brainstorming a competition I came across. The project, to design a music studio in Haiti, seems like something I would like to be a part of.
But alas, like I said I have a problem. I have no where to really do anything; my desk, which realistically is the only place to write or draw in loose-leaf paper, houses my computer and mountains of papers that have no rational storage elsewhere.
The only other hard surface in my room is my dresser, which is where my light is. Not necessarily a problem in itself but once said light is turned on the brightness is overwhelming. Plus there are other things stored on my dresser as well, which puts the actual surface space down to about zero anyway.
So what am I to do? Nothing, I suppose. I can't really change the fact I don't have anywhere else to put this stuff (a lot of which isn't even mine, by the way) nor can I change the fact I can't just add more surfaces to my room. It isn't nearly big enough. If I had more money, I could add collapsible surfaces, but, alas, I'm a relatively poor college student.
Oh well. I suppose I'll simply continue to mope about all the stuff I need. Its either that or actually getting the things I need - but that's to hard.