I live in Bali. The federal and state governments take care of the roads and that's about it. Most of the rest is really democratic. Heads of families are fined if they don't go to the political meetings and vote on local matters. If you want a drainage ditch you set a date and everybody shows up with shovels. There's a complicated system for allocating water that is outside the government.

It seems to me that big government is largely about fighting wars.