alt Hacker NewsSetting aside how things are, I'm curious about this thought experiment:
> You have zero right to a car. It is a privilege, one that you should be able to lose a lot easier.
Do I have a right to feed myself and my family?
If yes, is that right absolute or relative?
If absolute, and my ability to feed requires me to commute in a car, is having a car a right or a privilege?
Next, assume I cannot use my legs and need an electric wheelchair to move around. Do I have a right to an electric wheelchair? What if that electric wheelchair has 50 miles of range which is more than sufficient for my daily commute and more.
Am I now at an advantage compared to a person who needs a car for that exact same commute?
Replies
You do not have a right to drive a car in the United States. It is a privilege for which you must be licensed, which necessarily means you can lose your license and not be able to drive. There are medical conditions which absolutely prohibit you from driving. At least in the state where I did Drivers Ed, if you had certain kinds of seizures you could not drive again until you'd been seizure free for 18 months. It is your responsibility to arrange your life to match that.
No matter what other thought experiment you create, you do not have a right to drive a car in the US, it can be revoked quite easily.
That last “if” is smuggling in a huge assumption.
Again, you have zero right to a car and there are a hundred different things you can do to get that privilege taken away.
But hey, I'm sure you're the first to vote against any measures that would actually improve things like urban density or public transportation.
There are no "absolute" rights. All rights you have are limited by the rights other people have. You don't even have a truly absolute right to your own death in most places.