Individual choice is the essence of freedom
"Political leaders in capitalist countries who cheer the collapse of socialism in other countries continue to favor socialist solutions in their own. They know the words, but they have not learned the tune." --Milton and Rose Friedman, published in the best seller "Free to Choose" in 1980.
An individual making his own choices based on his own values, according to Friedman, was the essence of freedom.
Friedman also argued that the free operation of the economy provides a backstop to the centralization of power in the government sector. When economic and social decisions are made in the private sector and wealth is held by individuals, the size and scope of government power is restricted.