Do governments exist to preserve individual rights or to advance the greater good of society? Thomas Jefferson answered this question in the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Governments were instituted to secure our individual rights. Yet today, many believe government’s role is to promote the greater good of society, at the expense of our individual rights. The government could come take your house, or any other property you own, and say they can better utilize it for the greater good of society. You would not be entitled to the fruits of your labor because government would need it for the greater good of society. Once we say that government exists for the greater good of society, government has no limitations. Everything you say or do, even your own body, will be a product of the state, as they determine what matters for society.
Government cannot exist for the greater good of society because people often disagree on what exactly will benefit society. Public policy debates become a game of tug o’ war between various factions attempting to enforce their morals and their beliefs on others. This is not the role of government, but sadly, it describes much of what governments do these days.
We should implore our elected officials to get government back to the basics. Defend individual rights, keep government limited, and support free market policies.
But how do we know which elected officials are defending liberty, and which aren’t? It’s easy for a politician to make a fiery speech at a rally, or to post catchy content on social media. These things have a purpose, but they don’t tell us if someone is truly standing on principle. We need to do a deep dive into legislators’ voting records. We need to examine the policies they are voting on, the bills they sponsor, and how they spend their time as a legislator. This will tell us if they truly are a principled defender of liberty.
To accomplish this, the Republican Liberty Caucus has state chapters across the country lobbying for liberty and keeping legislators accountable with legislative scorecards. These scorecards evaluate legislators’ voting records according to the principles of individual liberty, limited government and free markets. Here in Arizona, the Republican Liberty Caucus identified two Champions of Liberty who scored perfectly on this year’s scorecard: Sen. Warren Petersen and Rep. Shawnna Bolick. We need more legislators like these who understand the purpose of government: to protect individual rights and to leave us alone.
If government exists to promote the greater good of society, we will have fewer individual rights and less prosperity. It is not the role of government to create more laws and more programs for the benefit of society. Yet society would greatly benefit from a limited government that preserves individual rights and free markets.
See how Arizona’s legislators scored on the 2021 Liberty Index here.
Ben Beckhart is the Secretary for the Republican Liberty Caucus, and the Secretary/Treasurer for the Arizona chapter of the RLC. The Republican Liberty Caucus is a 527 voluntary grassroots membership organization dedicated to working within the Republican Party to advance the principles of individual rights, limited government and free markets. RLC.org.