- Feb 5, 2002
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Sen. Tim Kaine’s declaration of dependence on our political leaders misses the point of America’s founding: Governments are instituted to secure our rights, not grant them.
At a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee nominations hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. — who claims to be a practicing Catholic — asserted that the statement that our rights don’t come from our laws or our governments but instead come from our Creator is “extremely troubling.”
His comments caught attention when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, responded, correctly noting that our rights come not from government, but from God. The exchange may have seemed like typical partisan sparring, but what was at stake was far more serious.
For Catholics — and for Americans of every background who care about the meaning of liberty — Kaine’s statement reflects a profound misunderstanding of both our country’s founding principles and the Church’s teaching on human dignity. Laws may recognize and protect rights, but they do not create them. To claim otherwise is to confuse the role of government with the Origin of justice himself.
The American Founders were explicit on this point. In words that still inspire freedom movements across the globe, Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence:
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
At a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee nominations hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. — who claims to be a practicing Catholic — asserted that the statement that our rights don’t come from our laws or our governments but instead come from our Creator is “extremely troubling.”
His comments caught attention when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, responded, correctly noting that our rights come not from government, but from God. The exchange may have seemed like typical partisan sparring, but what was at stake was far more serious.
For Catholics — and for Americans of every background who care about the meaning of liberty — Kaine’s statement reflects a profound misunderstanding of both our country’s founding principles and the Church’s teaching on human dignity. Laws may recognize and protect rights, but they do not create them. To claim otherwise is to confuse the role of government with the Origin of justice himself.
The American Founders were explicit on this point. In words that still inspire freedom movements across the globe, Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence:
Continued below.
Senator Flunks Civics 101: Governments Secure Rights, God Grants Them
COMMENTARY: Sen. Tim Kaine’s declaration of dependence on our political leaders misses the point of America’s founding: Governments are instituted to secure our rights, not grant them.
