Big government vs. Powerful government

[Donkey]

I'm going to make an effort for this not to be one of those threads that I start and then walk away from because I forget to come back and make thought-out replies. I think I also started a similar thread on another forum back in the day. But anyway...

I consistently see people conflating "big" government and "powerful" government. I'm not convinced that this is a valid perspective. The size of a government does not directly correlate with its power. I believe that the size, and indeed the responsibility, of a government without expanding its power.

I guess I make a distinction between government provision of services, and government's ability to restrict rights.

Does this make any sense?

[The Drunk Guy]

I'm going to make an effort for this not to be one of those threads that I start and then walk away from because I forget to come back and make thought-out replies. I think I also started a similar thread on another forum back in the day. But anyway...

I consistently see people conflating "big" government and "powerful" government. I'm not convinced that this is a valid perspective. The size of a government does not directly correlate with its power. I believe that the size, and indeed the responsibility, of a government without expanding its power.

I guess I make a distinction between government provision of services, and government's ability to restrict rights.

Does this make any sense?
While the two may not directly correlate, it is inevitable that they will indirectly correlate in some way or form.

[Donkey]

While the two may not directly correlate, it is inevitable that they will indirectly correlate in some way or form.
In many ways, yes, but if you look at the three branch form of government, with checks and balances, 500+ individual decision makers (congress, prez, Supreme Court), that is much larger, but significantly less powerful than a solitary dictator.

[The Drunk Guy]

In many ways, yes, but if you look at the three branch form of government, with checks and balances, 500+ individual decision makers (congress, prez, Supreme Court), that is much larger, but significantly less powerful than a solitary dictator.
I agree, but the more oversight one branch has over a single factor, the more power each branch has to hold sway over both the other branches and the public.