Your last line pretty much answered your own question.
Most small-government guys (myself included) distrust anything controlled by flawed humans with the power to target and totally ruin an individual at a whim. I personally hate the idea that I could build myself up from nothing and someone could conjure up a story to take my work away from me.
We are just pessimistic when it comes to institutions... yes it can bring great benefit, but you can also lose a great amount. History has shown us many examples of people striving towards utopia and ending up causing unspeakable loss.
I said "setting up" a dystopia. You can't seriously see almost every communication being monitored, the middle class being replaced by cheap overseas/automated labor, and the amount of easily buyable lawmakers to be indicative of a sustainable, bright future?
Your question makes the assumption that our current system qualifies as "small government".
The filibuster is gone.. Trump is able to by executive order deport people and change America's course on the world stage.. Net Neutrality is being destroyed and new laws are being made to promote the big players in the market...
That's not small government. That's big government.
Okay then, I must not be sure what you envision as "small government". Did you have any examples in mind? Any examples that allow for innovation, propel a first world standard of living, and protect the rights of its citizens?
Most small-government guys (myself included) distrust anything controlled by flawed humans with the power to target and totally ruin an individual at a whim. I personally hate the idea that I could build myself up from nothing and someone could conjure up a story to take my work away from me.
We are just pessimistic when it comes to institutions... yes it can bring great benefit, but you can also lose a great amount. History has shown us many examples of people striving towards utopia and ending up causing unspeakable loss.