As to What the Proper Role of Government Really Is

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they 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 instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;" By using the words, "among these are" instead of simply "these are", Jefferson makes it plain that there are other unalienable rights belonging to all men, although he has declined to state them here.

The mere fact that such additional rights exist creates an imperative that we secure them for all men, and as Jefferson makes plain, this is the reason the government was instituted. But how should we identify what these other rights are? Jefferson did not come out and make them explicit, perhaps for brevity, but just as likely because he felt their identification would best be left to the governed themselves. After all, Jefferson was a big fan of democracy.

This is only one illustration of how our Founding Fathers intended us to clarify the proper role of our government in a way that was consistent with our understanding at any point in time. So when you hear someone complain that there "is no right to privacy/health care/a dignified death", you can ask them, "Isn't that for all of us to decide?"