“It is perfectly true that the government is best which governs least. It is equally true that the government is best which provides most.”

No way! That is a con. The government cannot 'provide' anything as it does not produce anything. All it can do is take from one to give to another (and take a percentage along the way, of course). This is a corruption Thoreau's original statement. Lippman is merely trying to twist a good argument into support for the opposite argument. Sneaky, bastard.