“If they concentrated on defending liberty, all of the other social ills would start to recede.”
Wrong. IF we concentrated on establishing morality and a moral, God fearing, people then the social ills would(may)start to recede. Liberty...unconstrained by genuiene morality...is just anarchy. What most libertarians call “liberty” is to be “libertine.” No, that is NOT a solution.
Where you have a moral people, then liberty can flourish because the people do not require restraint and are self policing. Our culture has become so hedonistic and immoral that “liberty” cannot properly exist and their be basic safety. However, true morality can only exist where real Christian belief exists. So, the solution is ultimately a religious one....meaning of turning of people to God/Jesus Christ.
Oh, I am NOT suggesting a theocracy....you cannot force anyone to “believe” anything....it has to be between them and God. However, basic morality (in behavior) can be enforced by law.....it works better when it is internal to the people rather than external. This, of course, has to be done very carefully......too many views on want constitutes “morality.” Thus, again a religious/faith awakening is called for.....not something men can produce per se.
Which is what I keep saying. Morality is not government initiated and it isn't ensured by laws. Bottom line is: more laws = more government = more crimes of consequence.
The more government we allow, the less people take responsibility for doing right, the more corruption and regulatory capture we endure, the more large scale crime we see. I'm not talking about someone firing up a dubie at home, I'm talking about the global rape and pillaging of the producers.
Your argument started out in the wrong direction but you circled back around to the answer. Remember Jesus told the the pharisees that all of their laws could be pared down to 2 rules? But Pharisees piled law upon law on the backs of God's people. It didn't make them better people or closer to God. On the contrary, Jesus said the traditions of men actually prevented people from entering the kingdom.
Rand Paul Says America Needs A "Spiritual Cleansing"
"Senator Rand Paul says America needs a, “spiritual cleansing of the people” and explains that “salvation” doesn’t come through elected leaders. [snip] Senator Rand Paul: “Changing a particular law is not going to make us a better people but that comes from the people themselves.” "