Here is a good discussion of the American view of government. Basically Americans distrust government, and see enlargement of government as a step toward tyranny, a reasonable assumption based on study of ancient and modern history. Democrats have a real hard time understanding this attitude amongst the poor. They accuse Republicans of being budding fascists, yet they are actually the ones who tend toward fascism (which is, after all, a form of socialism that is opposed to capitalism.) My all time favorite Democrat speech was made by Mrs. John Kerry during the 2004 Presidential campaign. She said, and I paraphrase, "Vote for us peasants, and we'll take care of you." After uttering the truth like that Kerry's handlers muzzled her, and she was not heard from for the rest of the campaign. (Mrs. Kerry was born in Africa to Portugese colonialist parents, so she came by her attitude naturally.)