This actually made me lose sleep last night, and it's something that's been bothering me for a while.  Since when did (apparently) everything imaginable become a 'right'?  I think I remembering being taught in ELP that there's only a handful of actual factual rights.  The main three, which the others come from, are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (or, for you Lockean purists out there, Life, Liberty, and Property-- but the founding fathers just didn't want to go there).  The others are the rights outlined in the Bill of Rights (makes sense, right?)-- freedom of speech, assembly, religion, press, right to bear arms, habeas corpus, privacy, etc.

I don't remember healthcare being in the either the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence, or in any of the writings of any of the founding fathers.  Or did I miss that class?  Nor do I remember affordable housing as a right.  Nor education.  Nor is voting (look it up and prove me wrong if you can).  These are all privileges, which you must strive to earn.  How do you earn these privileges?  Well, most of them you earn by getting off your butt and working for a living.  I afford my housing by working.  I don't have healthcare, but what little I need I pay for out-of-pocket.  I pay for my education completely out-of-pocket (I don't qualify for Pell grants and work-study barely pays anything and takes time away from my job) and I earn whatever grades I get.  I earn my privilege to vote by being an informed citizen of legal age with no felonies on my record that keep me from voting.

I don't understand this mentality of being entitled to everything just for having a pulse.  This mentality started with my parents' generation (although it's not as pervasive in their generation as it is in mine).  My grandparents are appalled at the thought of being handed everything (I tend to agree-- I dislike charity, and hate the idea of owing anybody anything, which I feel if anyone give me anything).  It especially makes no sense because most of these 'rights' mean the government is meddling in our lives and taking control away from us.  I don't want this, and I don't understand anyone else wanting it either.

I know from the mishap with Gerald Evans' bio, the bio is limited.  So, here we go.  I'm 23 years old, a student at a local community college majoring in Computer Engineering Technology, and engaged to Gerald Evans.

I grew up in a pretty politically active family.  My grandpa was a former Marine (WWII and Korea), remained till the day he died a staunch conservative (formerly Kennedy Democrat till sometime in the 60's or so) who helped out his party of choice; he also turned me on to listening to Rush Limbaugh when I was 5.  My mom became very politically active when we moved down here and she saw the state of the education system here (and how it was getting ready to get worse).  I decided to emulate these relatives, risking failing classes in grade school because certain liberal teachers didn't appreciate my views.  In 10th grade ELP (economics, law, and politics), I got fed up with the teacher constantly bashing supply-side economics and sat down over Christmas break and wrote a 15-page research paper educating him on what it really is and how/why it works.  Cocky, yes; over-the-top, yes; but it kept me off the streets and out of trouble, and let me vent constructively.  I got extra credit, and he actually liked the paper.

As soon as I turned 18, I registered to vote (in anticipation of the election the next year) and registered Libertarian.  I'd heard of Libertarians years earlier, and strongly identified with them (seeing as how some sort of government is a necessary evil for large populations).  They contacted me about meetings, so I went and found out they needed a secretary.  I figured "what the he--" and became secretary.  I was a bad secretary.  But whatever.

Starting college, I dabbled in liberalism to a certain degree (basically more extreme versions of the views I already have, like views on civil liberties in regards to the war, etc.) and came to my senses after about 3 months.  Shows what good college transfer degrees are for.

I don't bother trying to consider myself a republican for many reasons.  I believe in as little government as possible (strict interpretation of probably 50% of the Constitution, and throw out the other 50%).  I believe (and this is going to get under a lot of peoples' skins) abortion should be legal (otherwise we'd be right back to back-alley abortions, because prohibition never works) but only in the first trimester, and it should be discouraged through teaching people morals (and a mix of abstinence and birth control education during sex ed) and only be used without question or stigma in the event of rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life (the latter of which could be in any trimester).  I do believe in legalizing marijuana, not because I can/want to smoke it (I neither can nor want to), but because I don't see the harm of legalizing it-- and considering how popular it seems to be (judging by my classmates), there could be some real revenue made from it.

I'm getting bored, and I figure you'll learn more about me from my posts.  Sorry if I put you off by rambling so much, I promise my actual blogs will be more interesting.