200 years of creating laws at the federal, state, county and city level. Not to mention all the edicts that government issues without the courtesy of passing a law. Print them all up and deliver them to every taxpayer in the US.
Our legislatures consist of mostly lawyers, and a lawyer makes a darn good living picking nits in laws.
A bigger government comes from a population unwilling to do anything for itself. Few in America want to take a proactive approach and just want to avoid facing anything ‘unpleasant’ and want to shut their eyes and avoid dirtying their hands. So the gvoernment gets more power and we lose more freedom. It’s a self perpetuating cycle of self destruction; like alcoholics we increasingly refuse to take control, take responsibility and take a passive approach.