Creating "rights" out of thin air

It goes beyond parody.

[T]he European Union has gone a step further and declared overseas vacations a human right. The UK Times Online reports:

Brussels has declared that tourism is a human right and pensioners, youths and those too poor to afford it should have their travel subsidised by the taxpayer…

“Travelling for tourism today is a right. The way we spend our holidays is a formidable indicator of our quality of life,” [European Union commissioner for enterprise and industry Antonio Tajani], said…

Tajani’s programme will be piloted until 2013 and then put into full operation… it is expected the EU will subsidise about 30% of the cost.

Who could possibly be against free vacations?

Tajani’s spokesman said: “Why should someone from the Mediterranean not be able to travel to Edinburgh in summer for a breath of cool, fresh air; why should someone from Edinburgh not be able to travel to Greece in winter?”

It’s amazing how watered- down the idea of “rights” has become since Jefferson wrote about “certain unalienable Rights… among these Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But at least the US government isn’t giving away vacations yet.

Give them time.