[quote=patb][quote=urbanrealtor][quote=pertinazzio]anything that costs money can’t be a right. for instance the poorest possible society can grant all their citizens the right to free speech, association, religion etc. no matter how poor the society, the citizens can still have exercise those rights. on the other hand if in very poor societies you grant a right to universal high quality education, health-care, nutrition no will be able to exercise their so-called rights for a lack of resouces. now a society may decide that decency requires it to give all citizens health care, a job, etc. but that supposes society has the wherewithall to provide those things. Real rights are independent of society’s wealth.[/quote]
That is a very good point.
I find it compelling as a way of evaluating rights.
For example it is reasonable to describe equality of access to a public service as a right but not the access itself.
So we have a right to equal treatment when trying to get education but not a right to the education per se.[/quote]
“You have a right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, the court will appoint one for you”[/quote]
Also a good point.
I don’t totally buy pertinazzio’s argument but if providing access is the right (as I was suggesting) it could be said that providing the defendant with a public lawyer is giving him access to a service equal to that of the plaintiff.
