Republican Party/large government

The Republican Party frequently claims to favor small government. While this support would be of dubious value even if it were genuine, it is not; the GOP frequently and reliably take actions which increase the size and overall oppressiveness of government.

Actions

• created the incompetent and oppressive TSA
  • replaced private contractors with government employees
• created the "Department of Homeland Security"
  • a completely unnecessary agency
  • further trolling us by giving it an Orwellonym
• support laws restricting women's control of their own bodies
• support laws restricting what individuals are allowed to purchase, drink/eat, or inhale
  • are the driving force between the war on drugs, which is responsible for
    • unprecedented mass incarceration
    • expansion of the police state and police powers
• support laws imposing specific religious beliefs on others
  • support government-sponsored religious propaganda
    • mandatory prayer in schools
    • "Ten Commandments" monuments on government property
    • "Ten Commandments" and other religious posters in courtrooms and classrooms
    • religious displays on government property
• support laws requiring children to repeat government propaganda (the Pledge of Allegiance)
• greatly expanded Presidential powers when there was a Republican president, increasing governmental power over overall (except in certain areas)
  • didn't do anything substantial to reduce those powers after a Democrat became president
• started two unnecessary wars, increasing military funding to disastrous proportions
  • pursued those wars with extraordinary incompetence, especially fiscal