The Asian Republican: 'Professor Milton Friedman - Productivity and Smaller Government (1978)'

Source: The Asian Republican- Professor Milton Friedman, in I believe 1978.

"Nobel laureate economist, Milton Friedman discusses Small Government and Productivity.  The point of this video is to demonstrate the issues debated in 1970 are the same issues debated in 1776 are the same issues debated in 2011." 

From The Asian Republican

This whole debate of big government vs small government that we've probably been having in America probably since the Founding Fathers were debating how they were going to establish the United States, I believe misses the point and I'll explain. 

Unless you believe in some type of authoritarianism and feel free to take your pick, guess what you believe in limited government. If you believe in some type of democracy which I believe most Americans do, which is a big reason why we live here and so many people have immigrated here, you're like me in this sense, that you believe in limited government and least a particular form of it. 

And guess this as well, you might not even be aware of it which I believe a lot of Americans would qualify as: if you're some type of democrat and I'm not talking about the Democratic Party my party by the way which I'm proud to be a member, but you are at least a democrat in the sense you believe in democracy and freedom, you believe in some type of limited government.

Whether you believe in some type of big government or small government, you believe in some form of limited government. All democrats across the political spectrum believe in some form of limited government. And why I say that it's very simple, all you have to do is know what limited government means. 

Limited government simply means you believe that government is limited in what it can and what it should do. That it has a limited role in society and that it can't do everything for everybody. Even Democratic Socialists believe in a form of limited government. Just they tend to believe that governments limits are in the foreign policy and national security as well as law enforcement areas. And that government shouldn't be trying to limit how people live their own lives. 

Socialist-Liberals- people who are liberal on social issues and socialist on economic policy,  tend to be very liberal when it comes to personal freedom. Just take a look at Switzerland which is a perfect example of this.

Just to be fair and not to sound partisan but truthful, even theocrats and Neoconservatives who are also democrats, again small d believe in a form of limited government. But they believe government's limits tend to be in the economy. But that government can regulate how people live their lives and don't tend to take civil liberties and constitutional rights as seriously as Liberals, Conservatives, Libertarians and Socialist-Liberals. 

My idea of limited government is fairly simple and yes limited: figuring out what government does well and what it does better than the private sector and what government can and should do that the private sector can't or shouldn't. And how best to fund it to make it the most cost-effective and efficient as possible. And it's all centered around protecting individual freedom. Whether it's national security, law enforcement and catching people who fall with a safety net. (So to speak) And help them up so they can have the freedom to live their own lives as they see fit, like the rest of the country. That's what limited government means to me: it's centered around protecting and promoting individual freedom.