In an opinion item run by the Carroll County Times, County Commissioner Richard Rothschild offers his views on the essential duties of a county elected official.
I apologize for being circuitous, but to appreciate the primary job of any elected official, you must first know the answer to another equally profound question: What is the purpose of government?
I cringe when officials struggle to craft an answer that sounds sufficiently impressive. Fortunately, there’s no need to improvise.
The primary purpose of government is found in the beginning of America’s charter document, known as, “The Declaration of Independence.”
“… that [all men] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are institued (sic) among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
Clear as glass.
The purpose of government is to secure your God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (including the right to own property). Combined, they may be summed-up in one word: Freedom.
