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Monday, February 22, 2010 - 11:17pmSanction this postReply
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I have a problem with the term "limited government." Limited to what? We would of course say "limited to self-defense -- to the protection of people's rights." But does everyone who uses that term mean this? Or do some people who use that term "limited government" have a different idea of what the government should be "limited" to -- like roads and bridges, public education, fire protection, etc. And if so, just how do we know that a self-proclaimed advocate of "limited government" shares are political philosophy?

- Bill

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 6:03pmSanction this postReply
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Bill: "I have a problem with the term "limited government." Limited to what? We would of course say "limited to self-defense -- to the protection of people's rights." But does everyone who uses that term mean this?"

I think the answer to the question is no. For example, some people who endorse "limited government" mean limited to the Constitution. That would certainly be much preferable to what exists today but isn't equivalent to our view of the role of government. Others who use the phrase don't even know exactly what it would mean in practice; they merely say it in reaction to our ever-expanding federal government. Of course, any government could be "limited" and still be awful (i.e., a government limited to enforcing all the tenets of a particular religion).
(Edited by Jon Trager on 2/24, 10:02am)


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Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 11:01pmSanction this postReply
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I suspect "limited" arises from the longtime attempt to curtail the powers of monarchs. So the movement from absolute to constitutional monarchies is seen as progress toward liberty. The constitution, in turn, was seen as limiting the powers of the monarch and, thus, of government. The precise terms of such limitation were not spelled out except here and there, e.g., in the Magna Carta and especially in the American Bill of Rights. Arguably it is not the size of government that had been of concern but its scope, which is still so.

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