Big government is the biggest threat

As this Gallup poll shows, the majority of people worry more and more about the threat to the country that bigger government represents.

And as this shows, Democrats today are relatively unconcerned about big government, fearing big business more. Republicans are the ones most concerned about big government, and if that proves to be the party's rallying cry in the years ahead, there will be plenty of grist for the mill.

A primary thrust of the American political tradition is a fear of centralized government with too much power. And the U.S. capitalist economic system has given businesses wide latitude to operate with minimal government interference. But those values were put to the test last year as the imminent collapse of several major U.S. corporations threatened to drive the country into an economic depression. The government responded by infusing some of these failing companies with cash and in some cases taking on significant ownership in the companies.

HT: Greg Mankiw.