The terms big and small government evoke a myriad of images and emotions which are mostly negative. A government can be defined as an institution whose role includes decision making and activities aimed at implementing authoritative decisions for society. The decisions are comprehension of public policies, regulations, and laws which individuals and institutions are legally obligated to abide by. This essay focuses on the analysis of the role that the government is supposed to play in the American society. The analysis will look at scenarios where the government plays an active role in the lives of people also known as “big government” and another where the government has a limited power, otherwise known as the “small government.”
The number one recurring conflict in the American society is that of freedom and order. The small government is depicted as being flexible and efficient, and thus, it is seen as a protector of individual freedoms. The challenge, however, arises from the attainment of order in a minimally governed society. Big governance, on the other hand, is largely criticized for its role as a threat to the freedom of the individual.
However, it depicts a great sense of order in society, which arises from the increased degree of governance through security systems such as law enforcement units. The big government concept is painted largely based on the four freedoms. According to President Roosevelt, the government (through its policies) allows for the protection of the rights and liberties of the individual (Roosevelt 187).
The pretext of entrance into the Second World War was the protection of the freedom of worship and speech and the freedom from want and fear. The big government ideology focuses on creating proper environments upon which national economies can thrive. It focuses on the collective responsibility of the people and the meeting of their most basic needs, which include security, economic prosperity, religious rights and most essentially the freedom of expression.
This form of governance focuses on the peaceful interaction of nations and the robust growth that accrues from the interaction (Roosevelt 188). The strength of the big governance ideology lies in the unity of purpose, with the main goal being a peaceful and robust global community. The small government, on the other hand, proposes the idea of freedom of the individual from the all-powerful government.
However, according to Roosevelt, freedom could be seen as an unrestrained economic opportunity for individuals who were enterprising. According to the former President Hoover, the concept of freedom that was being pushed for by Roosevelt depicted a direct imposition of European ideas. For Americans, the greatest decision lay in arriving at the choice of ideals upon which the country could be built (Hoover 171).
The decision had to put into consideration the vitality and well-being of the people. A good example is The New Deal, which was being proposed as the vehicle upon which the American people would ride to their liberty. In an effort to understand the philosophy behind the New Deal, one had to consider the incidents that arose from the implementation of some of its policies.
This is, however, not achievable since it creates a subsequent huge demand in terms of expenditure. There has been a frantic push to find new taxes that can be imposed on the rich, but the average man is the one who is going to foot a huge chunk of the debt. The poor man, therefore, is left to grapple with the slavery of work in an effort to help erase the follies of the government (Hoover 170).
In this context, it becomes clear how the idea of the “big government” undermines the freedom of the individual. In as much as the big government promises a perfect life, its existence over the years has failed to realize its intended goals. In the name of creating peace and protecting its citizens, thousands of soldiers die and many more remain depressed from the destruction of war. Poverty also remains a challenge even in the twenty-first century (Hoover 172).
The big government as discussed above indicates a powerful entity which lacks checks and balances and, as a result, it often tends to represent special interests to the detriment of the people. The small government, on the other hand, relies heavily on the discipline of the individual and in effect allows for reduced degree of governance. The power lies with the people, with the government playing the role of creating an environment that allows for growth of small business. The impending elections have largely been centered on the protection of individual liberty in relation to the increased global security threat. Based on this premise, one then realizes the people are likely to choose a candidate who promises to guarantee their safety even if it is through waging war.
Work Cited
Hoover, Herbert. On the New Deal of Liberty. 1936. Print.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. Fighting for the Four Freedoms: World War II, 1941-1945. 1941. Print.
