Here’s one way to look at this: You can consider TWO primary spheres of influence that the Gubbermint wants to get its grubby hands on:
(1) The Economic Sphere (tangible assets, goods and services)
(2) The “Hearts and Minds” of people (what they believe, how they think about things)
Now, I am a stubborn cuss, and short of shooting me, it would be difficult for a Gubbermint Agent to change my belief system. I can assume that others with strong personal convictions operate the same way. So, people of strong convictions are more or less “immune” to the Gubbermint’s attention to the second sphere.
On the other hand, for a Gubbermint to operate at all, it needs to be able to tax (and take) actual things of value from the first sphere. While a belief of mine cannot be seized, my house sure could. So, I look for proponents of small Gubbermint that advocate LESS INFLUNCE in the Economic Sphere.
Some preachy tea-totaller could advocate for a ban on alcohol, and that would just be water off my back. A man with a gun from the Gubbermint shows up at the house to confiscate my 150 year old Scotch, and I have a problem with that.
So, let’s get the Gubbermint to pass fewer laws about actual, tangible things, and I think we can let people’s personal beliefs work themselves out.
I am in 100% agreement on all points, sir