Small Government Doesn't Just Happen

Some time ago I got in an argument with a roommate of mine. I’ll call him John. John was the kind of guy who would argue with anyone over anything and this time we got in a debate over welfare programs. I made the classic conservative arguments about the role of government and stated that the government shouldn’t be involved. I further justified my position by talking about the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of government. John countered that the government is the only mechanism for handling the problem of extreme poverty and pointed out that even if the current welfare program wasn’t the best solution, it was the only solution on the table. In my mind, this was an argument about the size and role of government. To John, the debate was about the best way to solve extreme poverty. Whether I wanted to admit it at the time or not, John was right. The problem needed to be addressed and I couldn’t offer a real solution. I had lost the debate.

Federalist Paper 51 states, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” The principle beneath that quote is that better people = less need for government. If there are no challenges facing the country, then there is no need for the government to intervene. We may need a government to solve some problems, but the list is small.

If we really want limited government, we are under a moral responsibility to do something about the problems that big government is currently attempting to solve. We can’t just say no to government unless we are prepared to do something about it. When we say no without providing a solution, we feed the decades-old liberal argument that Republicans are cold and uncaring and set ourselves up to lose the debate over the size and role of government.

There will always be those who want nothing more than to expand the role and size of government, but those people are rare. My friend John, like most people, just believes that the problem is important and needs to be addressed. If the only solution on the table is to use government, then that’s what he’ll support. If we provide a better solution, then he’ll be all for it.

As conservatives, we need to rededicate ourselves to solving the problems of society without government intervention. It’s not enough to just say that government isn’t the solution. We as individuals need to actively show what the alternatives are. As we form non-profits, foundations, committees, and charities, and live our solutions every day, we will also support principles of limited self-government. If the Republican party truly believes in small government, it should find a way to turn itself into one of the most charitable organizations in the country. Without increased efforts on the community, party, and individual levels, we will continue to lose debates and watch the government grow to ever greater proportions

Action Politics was created to support individual political participation. My encouragement to each of you is to consider what social, economic, and political issues the bloated government agencies you oppose are trying to solve. Then work with others to find better solutions that erase the need for those agencies and tackle the problem. If we all start doing this, we’ll slowly strengthen the case for limited government, and we’ll make the world a better place along the way.