by Zach F

Created on: January 22, 2010   Last Updated: January 23, 2010

Americans definitely want limited government right now. There are several reasons to believe this.

First, the government recently had an opportunity to prove its ability to manage businesses and to help the economy by intervention. Through TARP, cash for clunkers, the auto industry bailout, and several other programs, the government was trying to end the recession. 

Instead of ending the recession, these government handouts and interventions failed to help. In fact, some might argue that they got us further into the recession.

Second, public support is at an all time low, and continuing to shrink, for Obama’s public health care idea. The American public simply does not want the government controlling its healthcare options. More and more Americans are standing up against the public option and other big government aspects of health care reform.

The tea party movement is another indication that Americans are in favor of limited government. Although a little vague as to what it stands for, the tea party is very clearly against big government. This is the first time in many years that a conservative, limited government grassroots movement has caught on so much and gotten so many followers and so much public attention. 

For a right-leaning movement to do so well with grassroots organizing (usually the forte of the left), the American public must truly be sick of big government.

In fact, although still a third party and largely outside of the mainstream, two party system, the Libertarian Party is now the fastest growing political party.  Clearly, for this party to continue to grow, Americans must be coming around to the idea of a limited government role in their lives.

Scott Brown’s victory, and Joe Kennedy’s 1% showing, in the special election for Ted Kennedy’s seat in the U.S. Senate is another strong indication. Brown is now the first Republican Senator from Massachusetts in decades. Also, this was largely a referendum on public health care. 

In the only state in the Union to have a health care mandate, the public voted a combined 53% against such a plan for the nation. Even the people of one of the most liberal states in the nation, and the model which Democrats point to for the success of government involvement in health care, don’t want public health care.

Finally, in a recent poll by ABC, over 1,000 Americans were asked very simply, if they would rather have a large government with more services, or a small government with fewer services. The small, limited government won.
Americans are certainly at a point in history where they want limited government.

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