It took us 28 years to get this far:

President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981:

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

President Bill Clinton, January 27, 1996:

The era of big government is over.

President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009:

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.