One big goal has been the protection of the basic human rights and dignity of all American citizens (and not just particular demographics), as laid out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As you may know, this was spearheaded by the United States after the horrors of World War II, and by now has been signed by just about every nation on the planet. Initially it was opposed by a few, like som Arab nations (because they didn’t want to let women vote), and by the Soviet bloc nations, (because they didn’t want to let anybody vote). But even those countries have signed on too now. It was a cornerstone of US foreign policy from then until the last two decades or so, when those ideas have come under siege right here at home and are being threatened for US citizens themselves.
These rights include things like that governments should aspire to protect all their citizens’ access to the most basic human dignities, like access to food, clean water, shelter, access to healthcare, a basic education, and the right to vote- even if they hit hard times.
No, this is not a slippery slope to government buying everyone a luxury car. This is what every developed or developing country on the planet today is striving to provide for its citizens, even if it’s just to pay lip service to those things.
Propagating human right seems not only to NOT stifle democracy or prosperity, it promotes it. It seems any government today which is unwilling or incompetent to provide those things is no longer worthy of the name. The freedom of the jungle and survival of the fittest approach does not seem compatible with modern civil society or economy.