Every legislative session, we hear the same tired talking point: “Look at how many bills we passed!” As if the number of laws churned out is some kind of scorecard for success. It’s not.
That mindset might impress the bureaucrats, the lobbyists, and the career politicians who see government as the solution to every problem. But to those of us who actually believe in limited government, it should be a red flag.
Here’s the truth: A government that constantly grows is a government that constantly takes.
Conservatives don’t measure success by how many new regulations get pushed through. We measure it by how much the government gets out of the way. We believe in individual liberty, personal responsibility, and a government that knows its place. That means less lawmaking, not more.
Think about it, most every bill passed is another rule, another restriction, another reach into your pocket, your property, or your life. Even the so-called “good bills” often come with strings attached. Funding mechanisms, compliance requirements, task forces, and new departments are always expanding the state’s footprint.
And here’s the dirty little secret: most lawmakers don’t even read half of what they pass. They skim summaries, follow leadership, and vote yes to stay in good standing. And while many are quick to criticize out-of-state organizations and lobbyists, they’re often the same people pushing pre-written bills handed to them by those very groups. It’s not always bad policy—but using these pre-written bills while criticizing these out-of-state groups sure is hypocritical. Meanwhile, the government grows larger, more bloated, and harder to control.
Authentic conservative leadership doesn’t boast about passing hundreds of bills. It boasts about cutting regulations, eliminating programs, sunsetting useless statutes, and shrinking the budget.
But instead, we see many so-called Republicans brag about how “productive” the legislature was, as if productivity means anything when it’s aimed in the wrong direction. Passing a record number of bills isn’t a win; it’s a warning.
The Founders designed the system to be slow and difficult for a reason. That’s not dysfunction, it’s a feature. Good government isn’t measured by how much it does. It’s measured by how little it has to do.
If you’re a legislator who believes in limited government, here’s a challenge: stop trying to “fix” everything with new laws. Start focusing on what you can repeal, defund, or dismantle. Next session, we must get serious about cutting the size of government—and that starts with the budget. Idaho’s budget has ballooned by 60% over the last six years. That’s unsustainable. We don’t need a government that grows with every session, we need one that tightens its belt, spends less, and respects the taxpayers who fund it.
And if you’re a voter, don’t fall for the trap. When politicians brag about how many bills they passed, ask them a simple question: How much smaller is government now than when you got elected? If they can’t answer that, they’re not a conservative—they’re just another cog in the machine.
Passing fewer bills and protecting more freedom, that’s the conservative ideal.