Hey GOP, Government Isn't Always Bad Party's reflexive small-government views will hurt US By Nick McMaster Posted Sep 14, 2010 1:23 PM CDT Copied Paul Ryan, who wrote recently that America was on "the road to serfdom," is oversimplifying matters, says David Brooks. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Tea Partiers and other critics of government largesse have made the Republican party ascendant just two years after its cause seemed hopeless. A clear purpose helps, and Republicans have it: stop the expansion of government. Return the country to its free-market roots. But this is a dangerous oversimplification of American history, writes David Brooks in the New York Times. "The American story is not just the story of limited governments; it is the story of limited but energetic governments that used aggressive federal power to promote growth and social mobility," writes Brooks. The best leaders think of government power like fire: "a useful tool when used judiciously and a dangerous menace when it gets out of control." The country faces many economic, educational, and cultural challenges, and "not all of them can be addressed by the spontaneous healing powers of the market." Read These Next Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Report an error