When you ask people about the issues on which they decide their vote, you get a whole range of answers. 

Some don’t appear to sort issues by importance or priority. Some are one issue voters, be it criminalizing abortion or gun rights. 

Many are more self-focused, such as “my 401K is doing great.”

Our Constitution defines a government focused on the common good. It is a government “of, by and for the People,” meaning it serves all the people. It is also a government charged to secure “unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

At its core, the purpose is to help people.

Everyone has the right to choose how they vote and the basis for their vote. But I wonder if we don’t hold a greater responsibility as citizens. 

I think it is up to us to select leaders who are the most capable of using government to meet the guarantee of the rights promised in our Declaration of Independence. 

There are many such unalienable human rights. Here are some examples.

Everyone has a right to eat. No one should starve because they can’t afford to buy food. Charities nobly try to fill the gap, but the needs are great. Food stamp and child tax credit programs are examples of how our government has tried to secure this unalienable right. It’s not enough.

Everyone has a right to safe shelter. Millions of Americans make barely livable wages. There aren’t enough homes or apartments with affordable mortgages or rents. They struggle to pay for heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Millions are one missed paycheck from homelessness. How should our government secure this unalienable right?

Everyone has a right to healthcare. It isn’t just for people who can afford it. This includes primary care to help manage personal health and medications to manage chronic conditions. It also includes our aging population that can’t live without help. Obamacare was a step in the right direction. The question isn’t repealing it, but rather how to improve it.

Everyone has a right to a job that pays a livable wage. Capitalistic economies function on rules of competition and profit. There is no accountability for human rights. How should our government secure this unalienable right?

Everyone has a right to a healthy environment within which they can thrive. No one has a right to pollute our air and water. No one has the right to destroy the beauty of God’s creation. Who other than our government can secure this unalienable right?

If we accept that a fundamental purpose of our government is to secure human rights, it stands to reason that this should also be the focus of our foreign relationships, defining our role in the world economy and how we export democracy. 

Our country is poised to be the world leader in five key exports. We can help the world with food, safe water, healthcare, clean energy and national defense. We have the knowledge and technology to export the requirements to satisfy these basic human rights. 

Imagine how the world will view Americans if this is our focus.

There has been much debate on these pages about whether we are a republic or a democracy, or if we are a Christian nation. 

Let’s not get lost in labels or semantics. Whatever we are, our nation is founded on Christian-Judeo values. The most important of these values is our calling to serve others.

Human rights are the real issues we can use our votes to address. It has nothing to do about being a Republican or a Democrat. We have a choice to make every time we vote.

We can vote for representation that will act as our lobbyist, advocating the satisfaction of our personal wishes and needs. Or we can vote for representation that accepts our government’s purpose and responsibility to secure unalienable life rights for all.

Gov. Tim Walz made this crystal clear in his speech at the Democratic National Convention. He had just noted that the state of Minnesota guarantees breakfast and lunch for all school children. He explained the choice we have, describing that some of us want to ban books while others of us want to ban hunger. 

Which do you think is more important in our schools?

Our Founding Fathers placed a serious responsibility on us when they gave us the vote. It is on our watch to populate our government with people who can meet the promises our founders embedded in our Declaration of Independence.

Or we can just serve ourselves. 

This is and always has been the real issue in our elections.