The growth of the federal government since the middle of the last century has been staggering. As shocking is the accelerating pace of power concentration—as if individual liberties and sovereignty were not affected when the government grows. Obviously, they are. In a zero-sum game, more government means less liberty.
Before looking at the data, consider our republic’s founding ideas, what defines us—individual liberty, individual sovereignty, and equal opportunity assured to all citizens. Our pathbreaking Constitution guides self-governance, while our Bill of Rights articulates specific, inviolable individual guarantees. Why?