Big Government

Today, many people use the term 'big government' to describe what they believe to be government overreach and intrusion in our daily lives at every level. Wikipedia defines it “as a derogatory term generally used by political conservatives, laissez-faire advocates, or libertarians to describe a government that they consider to be excessively large, corrupt and inefficient, or inappropriately involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector”. But, a recent Gallup poll found that 72% of us – including 56% of Democrats and 78% of independents – believe it to be a big threat. The basic problem is, Government has this innate dilemma of balancing between serving and interfering. 2014/02/14 User:BcatOne

Today, many people use the term 'big government' to describe what they believe to be government overreach and intrusion in our daily lives at every level. Wikipedia defines [Big Government] "as a derogatory term generally used by political conservatives, laissez-faire advocates, or libertarians to describe a government that they consider to be excessively large, corrupt and inefficient, or inappropriately involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector". But, a recent Gallup poll found that 72% of us – including 56% of Democrats and 78% of independents – believe it to be a big threat.

Thomas Jefferson described the dilemma of the role of government in a single sentence: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have”. Government has an innate dilemma – the balance between serving us and interfering with us. This was a major concern of our founding fathers and apparently to the large majority of Americans today. Right after the founding of our country, most Americans were concerned about government overreach. Some wanted to protect our new country by putting an enumerated bill of rights into the constitution. Others argued that the list of rights that should be enumerated was too long and complex, and that any rights not included might be construed to be excluded. Those who wanted a [Bill of Rights] prevailed which resulted in the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. The compromise was to write two articles (articles 11 and 12) into the First Amendment:
Article the eleventh .... The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Article the twelfth ... The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Again from Wikipedia “[Big government] is primarily defined by its size, a criterion that incorporates variables such as the number of employees, relative costs, and the "spheres of involvement”. The concept can also be defined by the perceived role of government in society, the quality of services (that is, the impact of government effort), and the degree of democracy and societal representation.” So, what is it that people perceive that engenders such fear?

• Government programs, where it is argued that policy goals could be accomplished with smaller, more nimble organizations. (Link to governance and regulations BLT 2)
• Attempts to federalize programs traditionally implemented at the state level (Link to federalism and democracy BLT 3)
• Implementing programs that seek to accomplish functions normally associated with the private sector or private organizations (such as non-profit groups or religious organizations) (Link to federalism and democracy BLT 4)
• Expensive programs that are likely to increase costs in the long term, that are subject to cost overruns and/or poor cost analyses, and that are resistant to reform efforts, both internally and externally. (Link to governance and regulations BLT 5)
• Large bureaucracies lacking in accountability (Link to governance and regulations BLT 6)
• Limited or no checks and balances on power within an organization (Link to governance and regulations BLT 7 )
• Inadequate or inconsistent metrics to verify efficacy.
  • Potential impact: poor management throughout government resulted in poor service and too much interference. For example; for 3 consecutive years, Congress has failed to even pass a budget.
• Limited genuine benefits actually conferred to (Link to governance and regulations.
  • Potential impact: with 23 million of us unemployed in 2013, our government wasted more than $200 million. (Link to BLT 9)
• Cost ineffective (i.e. benefits are outweighed by high costs) programs funded primarily by bond packages (Link to economy BLT 10 )

Commentators who use the term are often concerned about government delivery of public goods, and government involvement in the formulation and implementation of laws and policies concerning civil rights, social justice, and social welfare. The term may also be used specifically in relation to government policies that attempt to regulate matters considered to be private or personal, such as private sexual behavior or individual food choices.[1] The term has also been used to define a dominant federal government that seeks to control the authority of local institutions - an example being the overriding of state authority in favor of federal legislation.[2]” ( link to BLT 11) BOTTOM LINE We have a big government, but we are a big country and we need a big government to ensure our rights of life, liberty and property. But there are (and have been in every government) powerful forces that will take advantage of government complexity for their self-interest. For example; in 2012 our government provided $2 million in financial assistance to cupcake specialty shops while adding $1 trillion to our national debt – for our kids and grandkids to have to pay? (Link to Coburn Taxpayer letter) The only counterforce is informed citizens who become active in the political environment.

---