Balancing Rights, Health & Safety

Health and safety (our own and others’) are critically important, but our rights are also critically important, and many have died for them. 

The Founders had endured many hardships (including wars and small pox) when they drafted the Bill of Rights, and they knew we could preserve health, safety, and rights at the same time. 

These include, but are not limited to, the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution. This might be a good time to review those. I’ve attempted to summarize them below: 

1.  Establishing or prohibiting the free exercise of religion; abridging the freedom of speech or of the press;  peaceful assembly; freedom to seek redress from the gov’t for grievances.

2.  The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

3.  No quartering troops without the consent of the owner.

4.  No unreasonable search and seizure;

No warrants without specificity and probable cause.

5.  No imprisonment w/o indictment;

No double jeopardy for the same crime;

No person may be compelled to testify against self;

Due process required;

Just compensation required for taking private property for public use. 

6. Right to a speedy and public trial;

Impartial jury;

Informed of nature and cause of accusation;

Right to be confronted w/witnesses against him/her;

Right to compel witnesses in defense;

Right to an attorney in his/her defense.

7.  Right to trial by jury in civil trials as well;

No re-examination of a jury decision except according to rules of common law. 

8.  No excessive bail;

No excessive fines imposed; 

No cruel and unusual punishments.

9.  The enumeration of these rights does not deny or disparage other rightsretained by the people. 

10.          “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”