Basic Human Rights

With the possibility of a  government shutdown looming, and (in Mayor Gray's words) DC residents being treated like "second-class citizens," I thought it an appropriate time to discuss human rights and entitlement.

That being said, I want to speak specifically of how wrong and self-serving I feel it is to shut down the federal government, and thus DC's government in order to prove a point. These people know what is on the line--peoples' jobs, DC's sense of autonomy, and public services to a city caught in the middle. This entire nation is dependent on this group of people to make decisions for us, and yet they are imposing on our freedoms and values.
Michael Moore recently said in an interview with Stephen Colbert that "the street, and the bridge,and the school, and the library...does belongs to everyone." What with recent attacks on unions and social services, it is important to keep in mind that our rights not merely as citizens but in fact as human beings are being attacked and questioned by the very people we have elected to represent us.
If we want to make the place we live a community, we need to treat those around us as if they matter. Our elected officials are not demonstrating this.
This basic humanity, to think that we matter, is all anybody wants. I draw a lot of inspiration from a man I met at my school this year. He is battling a degenerative disease and working with a learning disability. These things don't make him quit. In fact, he takes three buses in order to get to school on time. Even more importantly, he comes with an open mind and heart. He is positive, loving, and has a faith in the goodness of people. The one thing he wants? Autonomy. He wants to be treated like he's just like anybody else, for better or for worse. He wants other humans to respect him for being human and to consider him a contributing part of the community. He comes to school to learn, yes, but I think more-so to be a part of our community, to have purpose, and for the sense of autonomy it gives him to get himself there and ready each day.

Everyone has the right to feel human, to feel worthy, and to feel autonomous. That's humanity.

--Megan