The size and scope of government is one of the central issues of politics. President Obama is fond of quoting Lincoln in saying that the role of government is to do for the people what they cannot do as well or at all for themselves. Others take a more limited view, with some advocating a so-called “night watchman state,” in which the only legitimate role of government is to protect citizens from one another and from foreign aggressors. There are several factors people take account of in determining their view of the government’s role. What can the government do that the private sector cannot? How much can we trust the government to do its job efficiently? How can government benefit society, and how can it harm it?
It seems to me, however, that one of the most important issues for people is that they don’t want the government getting in the way of them living their life. They don’t want the government prying into their personal life, or taking their hard-earned money, or hampering putting bureaucratic red tape in the way of them going about their business. The majority of complaints about government seem to be about taxes and regulation. When it comes to spending, most people tend to be opposed to it in the abstract, but in favor of specific spending measures when they are presented to them. Most of the general opposition to spending tends to be based on fears about inflation, debt, and taxes.
