Unfortunately, the ideas of the day are being taken to a frightening extreme in the opposite direction: Introducing the State to everything.

Frédéric Bastiat
Complete Works volume I, page 73 (in French)
Letter dated May 24th, 1846

Frédéric Bastiat would turn over in his own grave if he saw the extent reached by the French government (or the American one for that matter).

Today’s quote is referring to an article of Félix Coudroy published in the Mémorial, of which we know that he wrote “I am not interfering anymore” which goes without doubt along the lines of “Majesty, majesty, above all, please do nothing. You have already helped us enough.” from the shipowners of Saint-Malo to the king Louis the 14th. What is lamented here is that the weight of government is incessantly increasing and, if it appears obvious today (at least to those who have some ideas of what happened in the 20th century and are against the implementation of a Ministry for Little Shoes), the 19th century that was getting out of absolute monarchies was still naturally searching what the role of government should be, then opposing socialists (constructivists) and liberals (who were in favour of laisser-faire).