I would suggest that the primary reason why so many of us are stressed out about politics is because the federal government has become so bloated, so intrusive into our lives, that it matters quite a bit which politicians are in charge at a given time. The people we elect can determine whether we can carry a firearm, consume a substance, be sent to war, or be victimized by violent criminals.

Indeed, if a disaster like the COVID-19 pandemic hits, we have to worry about whether our elected officials will push for onerous lockdown orders or impose mandates requiring us to choose between a vaccine or being able to make a living.

This is all because the federal government has expanded much further than the framers of the Constitution would have desired. We have an overabundance of laws that cannot even be reliably counted because they are so plentiful.

What if we could wave a magic wand and cut the government down to about half its size? Yes, that would still be too much government for my tastes, but it would be far better than what we have right now. If the government were smaller and weaker, then decisions over who should be running it would matter far less than they do now because the state would not have as much power to affect our lives.

Less government would amount to less stress because we are freer to live as we see fit without Big Brother looking over our shoulders. The fact that almost two-thirds of the populace is stressed about the upcoming election highlights the real issue we should be facing: The federal government is far too powerful, and until this changes, we will continue to be stressed about who occupies the White House and Capitol building.