Living With Leviathan : University Press of Kansas : 9780700604333 : 0700604332 : 31 Oct 1990 : Big Brother just gets bigger. Are we worried? Distrust of a strong central government has been a recurrent theme in our political culture, from the Antifederalists through the Bush administration. What lies behind our preference for a weak central government? Are Americans still fearful of being swallowed whole by the leviathan? The Bennetts say not. Charting trends in American public opinion about big government from the 1930s to 1989, with emphasis on the last 25 years, they trace how we have adapted to a growing national government. They analyze what these opinions tell us about changing themes in American popular culture and document the significant differences in public opinion about big government, the positive state, and citizens' obligations. Typically, Americans want more government for less money. They want the feds out of their pockets but not necessarily off their backs.