5 ms·

It's about small government vs. large government when it should be about good government, regardless of size.

by tomkin 15y ago

vukk 15y ago
Small government vs. large government IS about good government, because it's about if the government CAN be good. If yes, it might be small or large. If no, then it must be small.
kbutler 15y ago
"That government is best which governs least." -- attr. Thomas Jefferson
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- nerfhammer 15y ago
  I've never understood the citation of proverb in lieue of argument
  - rthomas6 15y ago
    It's an appeal to authority.
    - rquantz 15y ago
      And specious authority at that, see my above comment.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
  - kbutler 15y ago
    It's a concise statement of a contrasting opinion, with a citation you can follow to find more elaboration of similar thoughts. It would not have been more clear to phrase it as the following: """ > It's about small government vs. large government when it should be about good government, regardless of size But the problem is that large government, by the very fact of its scope and size, involves itself too much in the lives and business of its citizens. The proper role of government is to mediate in the conflicts that arise between the rights and desires of its citizens, striving to best protect those rights and the liberty of each individual while constraining that liberty and the pursuit of individual and collective well being as little as possible. Thus, smaller government is better government. The problems arising from expansive government powers and the desirability of strictly limiting government power are explored extensively in various writings of the founders of the American Republic. """ (and note the "attr." is "attributed to")
    - nerfhammer 15y ago
      It's a glib one-liner we've all seen 1000 times before. For lack of a better word it's a slogan. I'd be more interested in seeing specific reasons why that sentiment would be true in this particular case, and not just statements of arbitrary opinion or faith. Otherwise it just adds noise and informs no one. Maybe you think differently but I find that I'm not likely to learn anything from a trite aphorism and I also am inclined to believe that trading trite aphorisms is not a way to engage in discussion that will make any kind of progress for anyone involved other than a contest of which chorus can neigh and bleat the longest.
- rquantz 15y ago
  That quote, while frequently attributed to Jefferson, was probably never written by him. The earliest attribution for a similar quote is from 1837, and in the current form it comes from Thoreau in 1849 -- Civil Disobedience. http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/government-best-which-governs-least-quotation http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/gove...
- tomkin 15y ago
  Whomever said it, said it for their time. Topics of scale can't be glossed over with a one-size-fits-all approach. If you ran a corporation that catered to thousands of people you'd be X size, and at millions of people the workforce, distribution model and methodology would all have to change. Not sure how the government is expected to function when we concentrate on the wrong things.

It's about small government vs. large government when it should be about good government, regardless of size.

by tomkin 15y ago

It's about small government vs. large government when it should be about good government, regardless of size.

vukk 15y ago

Small government vs. large government IS about good government, because it's about if the government CAN be good. If yes, it might be small or large. If no, then it must be small.

kbutler 15y ago

"That government is best which governs least." -- attr. Thomas Jefferson

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
nerfhammer 15y ago
I've never understood the citation of proverb in lieue of argument
- rthomas6 15y ago
  It's an appeal to authority.
  - rquantz 15y ago
    And specious authority at that, see my above comment.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
- kbutler 15y ago
  It's a concise statement of a contrasting opinion, with a citation you can follow to find more elaboration of similar thoughts. It would not have been more clear to phrase it as the following: """ > It's about small government vs. large government when it should be about good government, regardless of size But the problem is that large government, by the very fact of its scope and size, involves itself too much in the lives and business of its citizens. The proper role of government is to mediate in the conflicts that arise between the rights and desires of its citizens, striving to best protect those rights and the liberty of each individual while constraining that liberty and the pursuit of individual and collective well being as little as possible. Thus, smaller government is better government. The problems arising from expansive government powers and the desirability of strictly limiting government power are explored extensively in various writings of the founders of the American Republic. """ (and note the "attr." is "attributed to")
  - nerfhammer 15y ago
    It's a glib one-liner we've all seen 1000 times before. For lack of a better word it's a slogan. I'd be more interested in seeing specific reasons why that sentiment would be true in this particular case, and not just statements of arbitrary opinion or faith. Otherwise it just adds noise and informs no one. Maybe you think differently but I find that I'm not likely to learn anything from a trite aphorism and I also am inclined to believe that trading trite aphorisms is not a way to engage in discussion that will make any kind of progress for anyone involved other than a contest of which chorus can neigh and bleat the longest.
rquantz 15y ago
That quote, while frequently attributed to Jefferson, was probably never written by him. The earliest attribution for a similar quote is from 1837, and in the current form it comes from Thoreau in 1849 -- Civil Disobedience. http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/government-best-which-governs-least-quotation http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/gove...
tomkin 15y ago
Whomever said it, said it for their time. Topics of scale can't be glossed over with a one-size-fits-all approach. If you ran a corporation that catered to thousands of people you'd be X size, and at millions of people the workforce, distribution model and methodology would all have to change. Not sure how the government is expected to function when we concentrate on the wrong things.