Nothing is more certain than the indispensable necessity of government, and it is equally undeniable, that whenever and however it is instituted, the people must cede to it some of their natural rights in order to vest it with requisite powers. -- John Jay, The Federalist Papers
If this is the fulcrum of the scale, which side of the balance do you lean toward. On one side you have the Fascists who feel most people are too ignorant and selfish to govern themselves properly and therefor must be told what to do and what not to do. This includes elimination of free choice in all personal decisions like Abortion, Education and Integration. Fascists feel they are the most qualified to make choices for the masses.
On the other end of the lever, the Socialists feel that most options should be open to not only discussion but free to a varied implementation. The choices are viewed as options to be explored and for the masses to experience. Morality is a function of the majority and choice itself is individual based on a broad majoric definition.
Most people wander in and out of the two. An example of ceding a natural right for the greater of society is eminent domain. We have rights to own our own land and do with it pretty much what we want. Eminent Domain says that if the government deems your farm land something they need for the greater good of the society, they can at worst take your land and pay you almost nothing for it. Fascist take the land because they need it and Socialists take the land to be "shared" by all. You are screwed either way. Ask the Five Civilized Tribes about moving off your land.
Government is a tricky thing and only those who really want to sustain and improve the American system should get involved.
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