What do you mean when you say you want smaller government?

[California Girl]

I want a government large enough to provide the common defense, promote the general welfare meaning EVERYBODY'S welfare without respect to political affliation, ideology, or socioeconomic standing, and that recognizes, defends, and protects our unalienable rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I want the government to be large enough to promote free trade with foreign trading partners, enforce reasonable and practical immigration policy, and to enact such regulation as is necessary to prevent the people from doing physical or economic violence to each other.

In other words I want a government large enough to fulfill its Constitutional obligations as stated and no bigger than that.

That should scale the federal government down to about 1/10th of what it is now and return the intended freedom to the people who, with their rights secured, are then free to live, love, laugh, govern themselves, and form whatever sort of society they wish to have.

That about sums it up.

Leave the rest of it to the states. It's not that conservatives want to destroy it, we just want it left to the states (as the Founders intended), so that local problems can be solved locally by those who are most affected.... and so that 'We, the People' have the power to remove those from our state government who put other priorities above those of their constituents.

Not rocket science, but apparently above the intellectual paygrade of the fucking morons in the borg of the Democratic Party.

 

[lizzie]

What I mean by smaller government is a return to government only having the authority and duties stated in the constitution at the founding.

 

[Dragon]

What I mean by smaller government is a return to government only having the authority and duties stated in the constitution at the founding.

Since that is still the case, you need to explain further.

 

[lizzie]

What I mean by smaller government is a return to government only having the authority and duties stated in the constitution at the founding.

Since that is still the case, you need to explain further.

It's rather simple: defense of the homeland (as opposed to offense), and interstate commerce regulation.

 

[ABikerSailor]

It's not that we need smaller government as much as we need efficient government.

Sorry.........but the party of no has to become the party of compromise.

I like the EPA. I like clean air and water. I'm not so much worried about the debt we pass on to our kids as I am about the kind of planet we give them.

Pay attention.......the climate is changing.

 

[dblack]

What I mean by smaller government is a return to government only having the authority and duties stated in the constitution at the founding.

Since that is still the case, you need to explain further.

It's rather simple: defense of the homeland (as opposed to offense), and interstate commerce regulation.

Lizzie, the problem is that what's stated in the Constitution is interpreted. And it's interpreted by ambitious lawyers with an agenda. The sad fact is, the Constitution means only what the Supreme Court says it means. With the current prevailing interpretations of the commerce clause and the general welfare clause, there are virtually no limits on federal power. It's certainly not limited to a list of enumerated powers.

 

[Wiseacre]

I want a gov't that effectively and efficiently performs functions for us that only it can do, and at the lowest level. Most of the social stuff like healthcare, housing, education, that stuff belongs at the state and local level where they can customize their programs and policies to fit their needs. Privatize where it makes sense, introduce competition wherever possible; the gov't does way too much single source contracts.