What does ‘commodity’ mean in simple terms?
According to the Cambridge English dictionary, it’s “a substance or product that can be traded, bought, or sold.” By definition, housing is a commodity.
But the RIGHT to housing, specifically shelter, is a human right. A kick in the pants, food, water, and air are also human rights, all of which are commodities traded, bought, or sold.
Absolutely no human right comes with a guaranteed quantity or quality. They each come with that which is freely available. Beyond that, quantity and quality rely almost entirely on the individual’s ability to buy, sell, or trade to get better than they presently have. Price fluctuations are common with commodities. The greater the demand, the higher the price.
People incorrectly assume that because the government, specific to these united States of America, is commissioned with the SECURITY OF our rights, it is also somehow responsible for supplying any human right we claim. Government is merely there to make sure there are no unjust activities that stop a person from attaining the quality and quantity of the chosen right that they can afford. This is also to make certain you are not unjustly violating the rights of others to fulfill your rights.
Simply because homeless people want to live in D.C., they are not entitled to hire the government to take from those who have and give it to those who don’t.
On the other hand, those who have private permanent housing are not entitled to prohibit homeless people from using public lands for their temporary housing. In this case, society may require the government to manage or maintain public areas, which can become an inconvenience to those using public spaces, but this maintenance cannot prohibit the homeless from using it.
Quick note on temporary v. permanent:
Temporary; something lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.
Permanent: lasting or intended to last or remain unchanged indefinitely.
People living in, what society considers permanent housing, may of right buy, sell, rent, or trade that location.
As for me. on the other hand, I am without a fixed permanent housing address. Though I tend to stay months at a time or years at a time in the same location; it remains temporary, as I have to right to buy, sell, rent, or trade it. Longer stays at the same place, at present, at least for me, are closely connected to unjust government activity. The government officers threaten to arrest me if I do not move. This delays the work on my human-powered vehicle project.
In my opinion, if these people, referring to government, private, and charitable organizations claiming to help the homeless, focused on the protectable rights of the homeless, and stopping the government’s unjust activity, as opposed to trying to get the government to do what it is not supposed to do, homelessness would not be as big an issue politically as it has become.
Maybe, you can help me get and keep clean honest government. That is; if you really want it.
