So, in the interest of disclosure I will say that I am both politically conservative and religious. I'll start out with a brief synopsis of my political point of view. I believe that the role of government is to protect man is his freedoms. In the 18th century, Frederic Bastiat wrote that government is the power of force- Force to ensure compliance with laws. These laws should, first and foremost, protect the freedoms and rights of the citizens. The force of government should be used to enforce these laws. If all men were angels, then laws would be unnecessary. However, it is man's inherent nature to get what he wants through the least amount of pain possible. So if one man can gain what he desires simply by taking it from another, rather than by working for it himself, he likely will unless there is greater pain associated with doing so. The force of government, then, is to protect each man in his person and property.
I do not believe that a government can give itself more rights than its citizens have. For example, I cannot go to my neighbor to the west and take away his new pickup truck and give it to my neighbor to the east, just because he doesn't have a pickup truck. That would be depriving my neighbor to the west of the fruits of his labors. Each man has the God-given right to enjoy the fruit of his own labors. Bastiat's The Law is the best treatise I've found on this. His insight is amazing.
