Do Conservatives Really Believe In Smaller Government?

Okay, I'm back after a few day hiatus. Life, you know.

Now I want to get off my chest something that has been bothering me for a while. Whenever one hears conservatives define their positions, they usually say that they're all about limited government. That seems to be their mantra. But do they really believe it?

Conservatives have historically called for banning many things they don't personally approve of, such as abortion, same-sex marriage, burning the American flag, and countless other things. Conservatives today are the primary obstacle towards legalizing marijuana. They are also the ones who tend to advocate for America being the world's policeman, and policing the whole world sure sounds like big government to me.

Now, at the grassroots, particularly among younger conservatives, there is a more libertarian tendency, so the socially conservative issues are not quite as common. However, this libertarianism has yet to take over the Republican party in any substantial way; who in the party besides Rand Paul can be called a libertarian? Furthermore, what seems to be the number one issue among Trump supporters? Immigration. While many on the left have called for abolishing ICE, the grassroots conservatives don't mind big government in order to deport and keep out undocumented immigrants. Abolish ICE vs. build a wall and mass deport. Which sounds like smaller government to you? Another example: policing. The left is far more critical of police than the right; the latter seems to always insist on "backing the blue." Blind loyalty to the police. Does that sound like small government?

To be clear, I'm not telling anyone what to think on any of these issues. There will be plenty of time for that in future posts. I'm merely saying that the big/small government divide between the left and the right is fallacious. It's about time we admitted that. I, personally, do not like to think of government in terms of big and small, but effective and ineffective. Scandinavian social democracies are doing quite well, whereas many destitute African countries have barely any government, instead being run by local tribal leaders and warlords. When it comes to the proper size of government, I tend to lean towards what they say in the adult film industry: it's not the size, it's how you use it.

-Jack