I ve always argued that immorality is the root cause of most of our great social and economic problems.
Governments represent people s efforts to collectively provide self-defense.
We authorize governments to carry out our natural right of self-defense. The only legitimate purpose for government use of violence and threats is to prevent or punish those who initiate it against others. By granting government a near monopoly on the use of violence, more order is created, and there s less preying upon the weak by the strong. The bottom line is moral government use of force cannot have a purpose exceeding the private use of force. Fortunately, most Americans would answer no, but the next question poses a problem.