Small Government

 Small Government

What does the term “small government” mean? For most people, it would mean that government should have minimal intervention in the lives of the citizenry. The term “small government” is lauded most often by the Republican party. Ask them for a definition and they would say lower taxes, less government regulation, and greater personal liberty.

On the surface, those three items seem like worthwhile goals but, like many things in politics, the truth is buried in the fine print. Firstly, we can eliminate lower taxes in our discussion as both parties would be loathed to favor taxes higher than necessary. Republicans and Democrats both admit that they need money to run a government, it really just comes down to how much you spend on the different categories. I challenge you to find a Republican who would support any reduction in what we spend for national defense. They would always embrace more spending when it addresses their ideological priorities.

Ronald Reagan was the Republican Barry Bonds (762 home runs for those outside the world of sports). Reagan was their deregulation-limited government champion. How do we know? Reagan told us so, “Man is not free unless government is limited.” How did Reagan do while he was in office? The federal workforce increased by 324,000. Federal receipts grew from $599 billion to $991 billion, or up 65%. Spending grew from $678 billion to $1144 billion, or up 69%. His “supply side” economics, aka Reaganomics, was a windfall for some, namely the wealthy. His “trickle down” economics was aptly named as the poor and middle classes ended up with a trickle.

This leaves us with the latter two items that define small government, regulations, and liberty. Living in Florida I am acutely aware of Republican thinking about small government as our state is governed by the Republican party’s most likely presidential candidate in 2024, Ron DeSantis. Both limited regulation and personal liberty can be thought of in symbiotic terms, the less you regulate something, the more freedom you have, and vice versa.

Governor DeSantis spent the last two years attacking policies that addressed the Covid-19 pandemic. He took the vaccine and got the first vaccine shipments directed to his primary political supporters. However, he advised others that the vaccine that would protect them and other Floridians should be a personal choice. Florida recommended that young men under 40 should not get the vaccine. The governor mandated that businesses not enforce mask requirements. Yes, Floridians were free of nasty big government, they were free to die and take others with them.

This “freedom” from regulations had another downside. DeSantis took away the freedom of private businesses to make their own decisions regarding vaccines and masking. In one case that I know of, he threatened the medical license of a doctor who required masks to be worn in her office. How dare she try to protect the sick people she was seeing by requiring masks to be worn. DeSantis didn’t come to his position lightly. He searched high and low to find a medical professional that shared his views. He found Dr. Joseph Ladapo at the University of Florida who had challenged the entire medical community and their support for vaccines and masking. He based his position on a single study. An article in today’s Miami Herald found that the study and Ladapo’s conclusions were deeply flawed. Even the authors of the study said he misinterpreted what they had found.

This Republican governor embodies the very essence of his party’s ideology of limited government. Florida will tell businesses what they can and cannot do. They will use their power in government to legislate morality to make sure it agrees with their religious beliefs. Even what a woman can or not do with her own body is fair game. Elections are free, as long as the Republican party has direct control and oversight of all aspects of the process. DeSantis has formed a Republican police force to oversee Florida elections.

DeSantis’ view of small government and personal freedom seems to be highly selective. You have personal freedom so long as it conforms to the views of Ron DeSantis. Deviate from his opinion and he will use the power of his office to make sure you comply. His idea of small government means students can read books, but only those approved by his office. State Universities can teach whatever they want as long as they don’t run afoul of DeSantis’ personal beliefs. You had better not teach real American history if it involves Critical Race Theory or any topic that he deems to be “WOKE.” State university professors were even restricted from ever-challenging state policy and could not testify as expert witnesses against the state. This provision has been since removed due to public outcry. The US Constitution survives in Florida, we just need some Scotch tape every now and then.