In their efforts to protect the downtrodden, progressives typically forget perhaps the most important defense the poor and powerless have against discrimination and government abuse: property rights. A nation that protects property rights also protects human rights. “The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown,” 18th century British Prime Minister William Pitt explained. “It may be frail, its roof may shake, the wind may blow through it, the storm may enter, the rain may enter, but the King of England cannot enter; all his force dares not cross the threshold …