I may comment later but I think the following text will stand on its own without my support!
Someone PMed this to me some time ago and I don't remember who, but I saved it.
I will say that I believe that all governments should adopt these ideas!

Please feel free to openly agree or disagree, just becareful about poking each other in the eye!

So without further ado:


The Real Meaning of Independence
By Sen. Mark Hillman
07-01-2003
As we observe the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this Fourth of
July, we should consider the unique form of government for which our Founding
Fathers chose to risk 'their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor' against the
militarily-superior British.
The definitive passage in the Declaration reads: "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 rights 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."
In these 57 words, the Founders established that:
– Our rights, better understood as "freedoms," are given to us by a power higher
than government. No matter what you believe about creation or evolution, you must
acknowledge that government did not give us life.
– Government's legitimate purpose is to protect the rights of the people. Just as
government did not give us life, it did not give us our rights, either.
– Government's powers are limited to only those given to it by the people.
"The whole point was to show how government might arise legitimately, not to
assume its existence," writes constitutional scholar Roger Pilon in The Purpose
and Limits of Government published (Adobe Acrobat PDF) by Cato Institute.
Pilon's insights are particularly useful because, as a libertarian, he does not
advance a religious conservative agenda. Yet he acknowledges that the Founders'
common view of "the laws of Nature and Nature's God" provide the cornerstone for
all that follows:
We hold these truths to be self-evident....
The signers of the Declaration didn't negotiate and compromise to define truth.
They agreed that certain fundamental truths were obvious. For example:
...That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness...
In that each of us exists because of the same creative process, the rights to which
each of us are entitled are necessarily equal. Such rights are best understood as freedoms from interference, either by government or by other people which, of
course, implies that others are entitled to be free from our interference.
Freedom encompasses not simply the opportunity to make choices but the
responsibility for those choices. Freedom does not mean that because my choice
seems "superior" I can bend others to my will, nor does it mean that when I make
an irresponsible choice I can restrict the freedom of others to impose
consequences.
...That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed.
Once the Founders established a broad universe of rights, they discussed
government, the sole purpose of which is to protect those rights. Again it is
imperative to understand "rights" as freedoms – not as an entitlement taken at the
expense of another1s rights.
When government legitimately protects our freedom, it simply does that which we
have a right to do ourselves. By contrast, government does not act legitimately if it
secures my rights by taking the life, liberty or property of someone else.
Occasionally, the rights of two people may conflict; neither can fully exercise
freedom without adversely affecting the other. The Founders concluded that in
these circumstances, the boundaries between competing rights ought to be drawn
by the people whom government serves. However, the consent doctrine does not
empower majority rule to deny unalienable freedoms to the minority.
Sadly, this concept of vast individual freedoms and occasional areas of
government power bears little resemblance to our federal government today, which
is why it is so vitally important that our young people learn about the foundation of
our government before electing someone to lead it.
Sen. Mark Hillman, R-Burlington, represents 12 counties on the Eastern Plains.