BrianGarst.com

One of the great frustrations for proponents of limited government is the illusionary nature of so many Americans’ apparent support for the concept. That is, many Americans say they believe in small government in general, but when asked about specific government programs also voice their support for them. This is why even politicians elected with strong conservative majorities are still vulnerable to demagoguery on Social Security, Medicare and the like. Most Americans simply don’t have a single, coherent ideology. They take issues one at a time. When they do, what emerges is a preference for bigger government, despite expressions to the contrary.

Despite this depressing state of affairs, I take heart in this finding by Gallup (Hat-tip: George Scoville) that a full 2/3rds of Americans identify big government as a greater threat to the future of the country than big business (or big labor).

Americans’ concerns about the threat of big government continue to dwarf those about big business and big labor, and by an even larger margin now than in March 2009. The 64% of Americans who say big government will be the biggest threat to the country is just one percentage point shy of the record high, while the 26% who say big business is down from the 32% recorded during the recession. Relatively few name big labor as the greatest threat.

Yes, it is another generalized question, but it also provides a blue print for winning the argument. People are afraid of big government, as they should be given its unique threat to human liberty, but it’s not always clear how one specific program represents big government. That is the connection that has to be made. To win the argument we have to both draw that connection and explain it. We have to explain how there is nothing more permanent than a temporary government program, how bureaucratic interests will always have the strongest incentives, and thus apply the greatest pressure on appropriators, as they work to grow their missions and further entrench their power.

As much as I love theory, it is simply not effective enough to talk about big government merely in the abstract. It is, in essence, necessary to give big government a face.