Good governing principles

Forest Thigpen, of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, says these are the principles by which we should govern ourselves. Why do you think? And click here for the "why" of these principles.

Governing Principles

1. Government exists to protect rights, not to create them.

2. The legitimate power of government begins and ends with the people, while its authority comes from the Creator.

3. Just because a problem exists doesn't mean government should try to solve it.
4. Long-term and cumulative consequences should be considered more carefully than short-term benefits.

5. Government has nothing to give anyone except what it first takes from someone else.

6. Individuals are ultimately responsible for governing themselves and for the consequences of their decisions.

7. Free enterprise, not government, is the engine of personal economic prosperity.

8. The free market should not be distorted by government-designed dictates or advantages.

9. Government has the high honor and responsibility to protect, fortify, and advance the marriage-based two-parent family, which is the foundational unit of society.

10. Parents, not government, are responsible for the education and upbringing of their children.