Purpose of Government

[Eric Bosworth]

What is the purpose of government? I think that the preamble is pretty good at defining the purpose of government but I think I have a better way of saying it.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

That is all fine and good but I think it could be easier said simply as:

The purpose of of government is to protect the individual citizens civil liberties.

What are your thoughts?

[Kathyp]

sure, but they were given to flowery statements sometimes.   

besides, by listing those few things, there should have been no doubt that the purpose of government was limited.  as we have seen, a term like civil liberties...or as an example "civil rights" can come to mean whatever future generations decide it means. 

[Eric Bosworth]

I suppose...  Especially considering what the general welfare has become...