“[Insert group or occupation here] are the backbone of the American economy.” 

When some politicians give speeches, the group or occupation that earns the title of “backbone of the American economy” often changes depending on the audience.

While various occupations and small business owners are certainly essential to the American way of life and a thriving economy, the true “backbone of the American economy” lies not in a particular profession or way of doing business but in the longest-standing social construct in human history: the family.

The family unit, in fact, is the foundation upon which other institutions and expressions of human freedom are built. It is therefore a just goal of the government to protect and prioritize strong families. A government that appropriately values families should:

1. Protect life from the cradle to grave.
2. Support the freedom of religion.
3. Not disincentivize marriage through its welfare programs.
4. Reduce taxes and regulations that disproportionately burden families, especially young families with children.
5. Honor the rights of parents to determine how to educate their children.