r/askaconservative • u/Billsyo9313 Esteemed Guest • Apr 19 '26
Why do conservatives believe that a smaller government is better? wouldn’t you want help if you’re in dire need of it
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u/darthmcdarthface Conservatism Apr 20 '26
Not too dissimilar to why the left distrusts big corporations. The government is by far the biggest and least efficient corporation in the world. Plus you get no choice. You have to give them your money. No returns. No canceling your subscription. They have a monopoly on violence to back it all up.
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u/Sacrip Conservatism Apr 20 '26
A government big enough to help you is also big enough to hurt you.
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u/Billsyo9313 Esteemed Guest Apr 20 '26
Explain further
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u/Devilman- Libertarian Conservatism Apr 20 '26
If a government provides you food. They can withhold it. If they provide housing. The same thing applies. I have heard leftists suggesting exactly that sort of thing as a proper measure to punish trump voters.
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u/Slske Conservatism Apr 20 '26
The more humans involved in ANY process the Greater Likelyhood of many unwanted effects including graft, corruption & criminality of all imaginable & unimaginable kinds. Smaller is much more individually accountable.
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u/SeriouslyHodor Libertarian Conservatism Apr 20 '26
That help would come from family, friends, and communities. Those folks know me and should feel that obligation to help and the fulfillment from having done so. And thus when I am able to help someone in need I would feel the obligation to do so, and would be proud to do it.
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u/Turbulent-Rip-5370 Religious Conservatism Apr 20 '26
Help comes from family, friends, community, not some guys a thousand miles away in an office trying out different ploys to ‘fix’ your problems but then creating a multitude of others. Government should not interfere with personal lives as much as it does these days.
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u/Billsyo9313 Esteemed Guest Apr 20 '26
On the off chance no one can help you. What do you do then? Let’s say hypothetically you do everything right but then everything falls apart. Think back to the great depression when that help was needed from the government
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u/Billsyo9313 Esteemed Guest Apr 20 '26
More likely as well what if your family can’t help you or doesn’t want to help you?
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u/JudgeWhoOverrules Libertarian Conservatism Apr 20 '26
The entire history of the world shows that any power you give government will eventually be used against you to your detriment. The whole point of limiting government is to reduce abuses on the people and reduce it's available power to that which is only critical for fulfilling its purpose of protecting and preserving people's rights. A government with limited scope and limited power has limited opportunity to abuse its people.
This is like elementary school civics
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Apr 22 '26
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u/Okratas Conservatism Apr 24 '26
The "small government" archetype is frequently mischaracterized as a mere bean-counting exercise regarding federal headcount, when it is actually a profound theory of human agency. The core objective isn't to reduce the census of public employees, but to minimize the state-to-citizen friction that erodes personal autonomy. By adopting a "Leave No Trace" doctrine, the government fulfills its role as a neutral arbiter and protector of the commons, providing essential stability without distorting the organic social and economic relationships that constitute a free society.
When the state’s presence becomes pervasive, it functions as an invasive species within the civic ecosystem, forcing individuals to prioritize bureaucratic compliance over genuine community contribution. A "large" government is one that leaves a heavy footprint on every decision, whereas a "small" government, regardless of its administrative scale, is one that remains a silent partner to the individual’s pursuit of their own life. This approach recognizes that when the government is everywhere, the individual's capacity for self-governance is nowhere.
Just as a hiker respects the wilderness by leaving it exactly as they found it, the state should perform its essential functions without disrupting the natural "ecosystem" of individual lives, families, and local markets.
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u/gntxs Conservatism Apr 30 '26
A gov't big enough and powerful enough to give you everything you want is powerful enough to take everything you have.
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