In Louisiana and across the country, there’s a growing hunger for limited government, driven by the recognition that more government doesn’t always correlate with heightened responsiveness or better outcomes. Time and again, we’ve seen how top-down policies, bloated bureaucracy, and ever-expanding regulations stand in the way of innovation, economic opportunity, and personal freedom. Louisiana’s continued sluggish economic performance, despite our natural wealth in resources and cultural appeal, is proof of this disconnect.

Limited government isn’t about eliminating government altogether—it’s about restoring balance. It means government that focuses on its responsibility to protect the rights to life, liberty, and property by ensuring a fair and just playing field in the market and society at large. It also means preventing government from growing beyond what Louisiana taxpayers can afford. Unchecked growth leads to higher taxes, economic stagnation, and a regulatory maze that only the well-connected can navigate. Louisianans have felt these consequences for too long. Burdensome occupational licensing laws that block honest work and economic development deals that benefit a few at the expense of many are just two examples.

The effects of unchecked government aren’t just economic—they’re cultural, too. When government tries to be the solution to every problem, it often crowds out the role of families, churches, and local communities. It weakens the civic fabric by shifting responsibility away from neighbors helping neighbors and toward impersonal institutions. Over time, this erodes personal freedom and discourages individual initiative, making citizens more dependent and less empowered. A thriving society depends on free people stepping up—not being told to stand down.

Nevertheless, hundreds of bills were filed and became law in the 2025 Louisiana Regular Session, despite voters’ desire for leaner, less expensive state government. While lawmakers accomplished important work during the session, including the passage of “One Door” legislation, another bill that would have established a government growth limit by constraining recurring state general fund expenses was swiftly killed in the Senate.

Since 2005, an average of 627 new laws have been enacted each year during regular legislative sessions. That’s not what most people picture when they think of “limited government.”

Louisiana holds general sessions, which allow for unlimited bills, in even-numbered years and fiscal sessions in odd-numbered years. During fiscal sessions, lawmakers are restricted to introducing legislation related to taxes, revenue, fees, and state spending. However, each legislator is allowed to file up to five non-fiscal bills on general policy matters. 1,491 bills were introduced in last year’s general session, compared to 944 filed in this year’s fiscal session. Sometimes legislation is passed to reduce or end excessive government intervention, but most bills—especially with the sheer volume filed and becoming law each year—serve to add more.

250 years ago, Americans revolted over taxes that seem minimal by today’s standards. Now, citizens tolerate far more—but they also hold the power and influence to change course. Louisianans deserve the opportunity to flourish. Demanding limited, accountable government is the first step to shifting leadership away from bureaucracy and back toward citizens and communities.

Limited government doesn’t deny people their rights or their pursuit of a meaningful and virtuous life. It respects parents’ natural obligation and opportunity to guide their children’s moral upbringing and well-being—stepping in only when that duty is truly neglected. It doesn’t burden the workforce or stifle entrepreneurship with excessive rules and regulations; instead, it allows the free market to reward hard work and innovation. This is the vision our Founding Fathers embraced. As Thomas Jefferson declared in his first inaugural address: “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” (March 4, 1801)

If we put our faith in people—trusting that individuals can make the best decisions for themselves and their families—we can reimagine what’s possible and let liberty lead the way to human flourishing.