I believe that protecting individual rights is the most important role of government. Our Declaration of Independence gives only one reason for government to exist – “to secure these rights”.

Without going deep into a discussion of natural and legal rights, our Legal Rights are the government's way of protecting our Natural Rights, and are most often written as prohibitions of aggression. As an example, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states ''… the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The right to keep and bear arms is not a God-given Natural Right, but a Legal Right granted by our government. This right protects the individual's Natural Rights of Life (self-defense), Liberty (revolution) and the pursuit of Happiness (hunting) against the aggressions of Government and others.

Of the three Natural Rights, Life is the most important. Without it, the rest are meaningless. Next is Liberty. Without it, the pursuit of Happiness is impossible. But it is Liberty and the ability to pursue Happiness that make Life all the more worth living.

Unfortunately, laws can protect one man's rights by aggressing against another's. This fact is also found in our Declaration of Independence, where men consent to be governed – to cede some aspect of Freedom in exchange for the protection of Rights. For example, in an absolutely Free environment, we could drive our cars as fast as we possibly wanted. But, to protect our Lives and the Lives of others, speed limits are enforced. A careful balance must be made between protecting one right over another.