Government

"It has been said that all Government is an evil. It would be more proper to say that the necessity of any Government is a misfortune. This necessity however exists; and the problem to be solved is, not what form of Government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect."

--James Madison, to an unidentified correspondent, 1833

This is definitely a different attitude towards government than what our nation seems to have now. If we stub a toe, we want the government to put a band-aid on it. We should become more self-reliant as a nation and then our need for bigger government would diminish. Health care, welfare, government bailouts, FEMA, and even public schools (and many more) were never intended to be a part of our federal government. It is and always has been human nature to want a big government. We even see that in the Book of Mormon. When Lehi died, the people wanted Nephi to be their king. Nephi warned the people against this but they insisted. Americans continue to insist on bigger and bigger government. The problem with this is it is very easy to go bigger, but almost impossible to go smaller.

A Couple of Cartoons

BIG GOVERNMENT

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

President Ronald Reagan

I would say that was accurate for 1980s politics, but for 21st century politics I would say this would be more accurate:

"If it thinks about moving, tax it. If it actually moves, tax and regulate it. If it is and has been moving for a while, suffocate it. If it slows down, 'stimulate' it. If it stops moving, socialize it."