One of the more popular stances among GOP candidates in my own home state and those in other areas of the US is that state and federal governments have too much power. GOP legislators, such as my district’s own New Mexico state Senator Gregg Schmedes, claim they’re champions for small government, and that in the midst of the pandemic, governors and legislators are violating our freedom and our Constitutional rights with executive mask and social distancing orders. Last week during a town hall, state senator Schmedes stated that individual liberty is important to him, as is limited government, and that the powers of Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham should be limited. The example he gave was the 90-day executive order mandating masks, social distancing measures, and a 25% limited capacity in public restaurants and public places, as well as the process used to extend this executive order afterward for a period of 60 days.

It is no secret that Senator Schmedes and other GOP lawmakers decry the science behind masks, social distancing, and the effectiveness of lockdowns. The scientific evidence for these measures is overwhelming, and it is shocking to me that a physician would poo-poo cold, hard, scientific facts. We have been in the midst of a deadly pandemic that has killed over 400,000 Americans, and like it or not, executive orders regarding keeping our citizens safe have been effective. For example, a study conducted by researchers at Imperial College London and Oxford University shows Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order may have saved tens of thousands of lives. Governor mandates and executive orders are not about limiting our freedom, they’re about saving lives.

So what is really behind the GOP position of limited government, and the moaning and groaning about mandatory masks, and limiting public gatherings, the complaints of state and federal governments over-spending? As Milton Friedman (noted economist and Nobel Prize winner) noted, the “true size of the state is measured by how much money it spends.” So if the GOP is about small government and limited spending, how is it that under the Trump administration, the deficit has risen by $7.8 trillion, the third biggest increase of any president in US history, after George W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln. Economists agree that we needed massive deficit spending during the pandemic crisis to ward off an economic cataclysm, but federal finances under the Trump administration were abysmal before the pandemic. Although the deficit continued to rise under Obama, the economy gained a net 11.6 million jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped to below the historical norm. But in only two short years, the combination of Trump’s 2017 tax cut and the lack of any serious spending restraint helped both the deficit and the debt soar. So when the pandemic exploded, we threw more than $3 trillion into the pandemic-related stimulus.

Budget data show that all modern presidents, regardless of party affiliation, have increased the federal fiscal footprint, but Republican administrations have generally increased the amount spent at a faster rate than Democratic ones. Under Ronald Reagan, the quintessential spokesman for limited government, overall annual spending jumped 22% percent, and during his first term, his administration and the GOP poured an immense amount of money into the Pentagon, setting the precedent for the last 30 years of bloated military budgets. By comparison, the deficit under Bill Clinton grew by just 12.5% and 0.3% under Barack Obama. The numbers don’t lie: A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Democratic presidents since World War II have performed much better than Republicans. On average, Democratic presidents grew the economy 4.4% each year versus 2.5% for Republicans.

So, going back to Friedman’s comment, the “true size of the state is measured by how much money it spends,” then the GOP is the party of big government and big spending. The GOP talk of limiting government really means “don’t tell me what to do.” Mask mandates, and executive orders regarding social distancing and taking precautions during a pandemic are unpopular with many conservatives and right-wingers, and all cry out that their individual freedoms are under attack, that governors are “tyrants” and that there is no science behind COVID-19 measures. The issue here is not freedom, otherwise, why aren’t these same GOP leaders and conservatives complaining about safety-belt laws, non-smoking laws in restaurants and airplanes, or “no shirt, no shoes, no service” regulations for shops and stores? Are these laws not a violation of personal freedom as well? Why can’t I just light up a cigarette in the produce section of my local grocery store? My individual right to smoke (even though I’m not a smoker) is being suppressed by big government. I don’t see anyone protesting against these restrictions.

So in conclusion, GOP legislators such as Gregg Schmedes complain about big government, that government has too much power. But if we take Milton Friedman’s view that the size of government = amount of spending, then the GOP has the Democrats beat. The point isn’t really big government, the point is that many conservatives and GOP lawmakers obviously are not concerned about public safety. If they did, they would support executive orders to keep the public safe from the ravages of a pandemic, they would support the science behind such orders, and they would support regular stimulus checks for out-of-work and struggling Americans, not corporate fat-cats. It is frustrating our children cannot attend schools normally, that we can’t go out to eat in a restaurant, that over 7.7 million Americans have lost their jobs as well as their health insurance, and over 400,000 have died. It is painful, it is tragic, but demonizing governors and legislators who mandate the use of masks and social distancing, and decrying the “tyranny” of big government is not a solution. If anyone should be complaining about big government, it’s the Democrats, the Independents, and the Libertarians.

After all, is wearing a mask in public, and following social distancing measures really that inconvenient, really?