Gimme gimme gimme

As much as I think the system in which we are living - both here in California and across the country needs a lot of tweeking - I am appalled at the Occupation movement's demands for "gimme, gimme, gimme."

This morning's paper exclaimed that the group that protested at the various UC campuses were demanding that taxes be raised because they had "a right" to free education. While, I long admired any institution that made it possible for people to get educated, I don't believe there is an inalienable right to my paying for someone else's education (other than my own children, of course).

Yes, there are the greedy among us. There always will be. Yes, there are the unfortunate poor among us - and we need to voluntarily reach out to help them. Key word here: Volunatarily - private charities are run far more efficiently than government ones and thus more of the actual money contributed to private charities goes to the intended recipients.

But, there is no natural right - our values in the USA - our constitution - give us the right to try - the right to the freedom to run the race - not the right to the production of others.