Burden of a Small Government

I often discuss the benefits of keeping government small and non-intrusive. In order to do so you must make hard decisions. In 1887, President Grover Cleveland vetoed a bill that would have appropriated $10,000 in aid for farmers struggling through a drought. He stated:

I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution; and I do not believe that the power and duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit. A prevalent tendency to disregard the limited mission of this power and duty should, I think, be steadily resisted, to the end that the lesson should be constantly enforced that, though the people support the Government, the Government should not support the people.

Hard words to agree with as a blogger who has no influence, even harder as a president.