Why do conservatives have a problem mixing smaller government and a competent government?

7 May 2018

This is part 24 in a series of 35 questions. It is based on a series of questions answered by John Hawkins for Townhall.com: here, and here.

24. finally it seems like conservatives have a hard time mixing smaller government with a desire for that gov. to be competent

I’m not sure exactly what this question is implying, so I’m taking John Hawkin’s lead on the topic.

Conservatives believe that government will never be as efficient or as competent as free market enterprise. Why? There’s no competition, so there’s no need to be. Not only that, the more complex the system, the easier it is for people to take advantage of.

Another reason, and the main reason, that government should not be involved in anything it’s not supposed to be involved in, is because of Constitutionality. There is a very short list, provided by the Constitution, that the government is supposed to be involved in; everything else is supposed to be provided by the States.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” - The 10th Amendment

By using that simple line of reasoning, anything the government is involved in that is not specifically allowed by the Constitution, needs to be shut down, and as programs shut down, the government will become less complex, leading naturally to a more competent government. That’s how you make the government smaller and more competent. It really isn’t that hard.

Tagged: government