Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities (excerpt from --)

The Declaration of Independence claims that all men are created equal. This idealistic statement has some flaws attached. Would a perfect world have all people equal in every aspect of life?

Equality or equal society implies that everyone enjoys the same rights. Everyone is bound by the same laws, has access to the same health care and education, and equal opportunity to employment. Given the diversity in position, social status and economic status in our society, true equality can be difficult to achieve.

Depending on our age, we all have specific laws we need to follow. Some would argue that equality is not as clearly defined within our justice system. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have our own personal biases. A jury is instructed to only take the facts of the evidence into consideration. However, is this always the case, or are there flaws in this system? Certainly, I feel that it is the best we can offer, but I am not convinced that it demonstrates true equality.

We are very fortunate to have access to health care which is subsidized by our government. We all benefit greatly from this program, which I feel to be an example of equality in our country.

When the issue of equal opportunity is raised, not everyone will be in agreement. We are all entitled to free education through our public school system; however, not all have the luxury of being able to afford post secondary studies. Without a college or university degree, people are less likely to secure a high-paying job. This leads to inequality. Another weakness worth mentioning again is our bias. In the case of two candidates applying for the same position, holding the same qualifications, one could easily be chosen over due to personal feelings of the employer.

Our society demonstrates equality among its people far better than other societies around the world. We could stand to take better care of the less fortunate. In doing so, we could possibly improve equal rights and equal opportunities, particularly with employment. True equality, however, is an idealistic notion.