We are society. Only when we govern ourselves is there government. Only when we produce is there production. The legitimate purpose of society and its governments, therefore, is not to govern people and to provide the good life for them, but to empower them to govern themselves and to provide the good life for themselves. Empowerment is when we understand that Mr. Jefferson forgot two words.
Inalienable rights are inseparable from inalienable responsibilities.
Each one of us is inescapably responsible to participate in democratic government, to invest all of our abilities and resources in producing lives of quality for ourselves and for all. In interdependent modern society you cannot be responsible for the members of your own family without being responsible for the society in which they live and the air that they breathe. This is not a philosophy, it is a fact. It is not a new fact. It was clearly stated by Abraham, Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad.