OWS & Constitution Day- These Truths Are Self-Evident

“[I] would come down on the left of center... I'm on the left because I think there [should be] a little more attention to human needs than to property rights.” -George Carlin

Let me be the first to say I fully respect and recognize the rights of the people to assemble and to protest—peacefully. After all, these rights were specifically recognized in the First Amendment of our Constitution. That's not my issue with the Occupy Wall Street protesters at all (and to be honest, it's about time Americans pay attention to what is going on).

With that said, I'd be remiss if I did not draw some obvious conclusions about the fundamental nature of this movement. As we all know, the OWS uprising started on September 17th—the day we as Americans celebrate the signing of our Constitution. Has anyone wondered why? Out of the 365 days in the year, why that day? 

Well, it's important to understand two very important facts:

1. The Constitution is the very document that limits the power of the federal government in the interest and protection of everyone’s Individual Rights (that among these are life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness).

2. Capitalism is the predominant economic system of the US and is synonymous with our freedoms because it is the system of individual rights. 

It’s quite clear, from much of the signage I have witnessed with my own eyes and the chants I have heard with my own ears, that the OWS crowd as a whole has a problem with these two concepts. It is quite evident to me that they chose to hijack Constitution Day for one reason and one reason only: because it was symbolic to their mission of undermining individual rights (specifically, those of the "rich"). 

If not a system of individual rights, then what? 

Again, look no further than what the aggregate of OWS is championing: Human Rights. 

What's the difference?

As George Carlin so plainly pointed out in the quote above, some would rather have a system where human needs trump property rights of an individual. In a previous posting entitled "Objectivism in Practice- JPMC Donates 'Unprecedented' $4.6M to the NYPD; OWS Suggests Nefarious Motive," I questioned the sanity of the uprising calling for government force to redistribute wealth while simultaneously calling for "Human Rights." Their motives and "logic" have become more clear to me now. OWS's idea of human "rights" is different from individual rights in that it separates property out of the realm of “rights,” doing so by perverting the very concept of “rights” and treating property as a need-based entitlement to be redistributed from the haves to the have-nots, and in this case, to do so via mob rule (yes, this is what Democracy looks like!). If the people of OWS had it their way, citizens would have the “right” to vote on tax rates of a particular group of people, say, millionaires (is this beginning to add up to you, too?). Those “Human Rights NOW!”, “Tax the Millionaires!”, “People Before Profits!” and “Robin Hood Was Right!” signs are starting to make sense now. For what it's worth, here’s a link to the OWS website somewhat describing their vision (though it is not very substantive or rational): Replace Capitalism With Democracy

What is odd, and what the OWS crowd doesn't seem to understand is that you cannot have one without the other; no human rights without property rights fully respected. As Ayn Rand noted in The Virtue of Selfishness:

There is no such dichotomy as "human rights" versus "property rights." No human rights can exist without property rights. Since material goods are produced by the mind and effort of individual men, and are needed to sustain their lives, if the producer does not own the result of his effort, he does not own his life. To deny property rights means to turn men into property owned by the state. Whoever claims the "right" to "redistribute" the wealth produced by others is claiming the 'right' to treat human beings as chattel.

And that's exactly how the OWS crowd would like to treat that top 1% they like to denigrate—like chattel. Going back to the “majority rule” aspect of property redistribution, it’s no wonder they like to call themselves the “99%” (although the numbers hardly add up); they propagandize this notion that they are an overwhelming majority in order to seek legitimacy and authority to justify their calls for theft.

(As a side note, to further tie this to reality, we also saw this false human rights/property rights dichotomy with the healthcare overhaul. Remember the "healthcare is a human right!" mantra we heard from the Democrats and leftist organizations not too long ago? Somehow, the product of the effort of others becomes a “right” to be seized and redistributed, because of course, that’s the humane thing to do. Yes, according to this philosophy, its humane to treat people like slaves.) 

It is this very notion of human “rights” that is so detrimental to the future sustainability of our Republic. What we need desperately in this country is to have the INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS of the 100% upheld, respected, and reinstated fully. That will not happen until property rights are respected absolutely!

Whenever you hear someone make this false dichotomy between human "rights" and property rights, you can try to get through to them using a personal mantra of mine: Property Rights are Human Rights are Individual Rights are Absolute!