He governs best, who governs lest. - Thomas Jefferson

A wise leader has said, "I will not try to change things, and the people will be transformed by themselves; I will be fond of tranquility, and the people will by themselves become correct.  I will not pursue riches, and the people will by themselves become rich; I will manifest no ambition, and the people will become as natural as uncarved wood" - Lao Tse

The people starve because those in authority over them devour too many taxes; that is why they starve. The people are difficult to govern because those placed over them are meddlesome; that is why they are difficult to govern. The people despise death because of their excessive labour in seeking the means of life; that is why they despise death.

The greater the number of laws and enactments, the more thieves and robbers there will be. Therefore the Sage says: "So long as I do nothing, the people will work out their own reformation. So long as I love calm, the people will right themselves. If only I keep from meddling, the people will grow rich. If only I am free from desire, the people will come naturally back to simplicity."

If the government is sluggish and tolerant, the people will be honest and free from guile. If the government is prying and meddling, there will be constant infraction of the law. Is the government corrupt? Then uprightness becomes rare, and goodness becomes strange. Verily, mankind have been under delusion for many a day!

As restrictions and prohibitions are multiplied in the Empire, the people grow poorer and poorer. When the people are subjected to overmuch government, the land is thrown into confusion. When the people are skilled in many cunning arts, strange are the objects of luxury that appear. Lao Tse

We have too much government, especially at the federal level.  The government has been steadily expanding its size and power since it was established in 1789. This is why Thomas Jefferson suggested that we have a revolutionary war every 20 years. We have a federal government trying to regulate everything under the sun. The constitution limits their powers of regulation to those of interstate trade.  Why in the world should the federal government pass laws regulating marriage? or homosexuality? or child abuse?  We might feel that these things should be regulated or abolished, but it is not the job of the federal government.  Let the state governments handle the problems not concerned with interstate commerce, international relations, regulating the border, national defense. etc.

The states of California and Washington have legalized medical marijuana.  The federal agencies are trying to keep those laws from being enforced. The federal government has no constitutional authority to regulate any activities that take place solelyw  WITHIN a state.  They do anyway.