There's an old adage that warns, "Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it." So, in Alabama, it's more than a little ironic that people are still highly upset by the fact that 17 Veteran's Assistance Offices throughout the state were closed not too long ago and that the state forensics laboratory has more than 30,000 cases backlogged. Also, on Veteran's Day, the U.S. Secretary of Veteran's Affairs wrote an op-ed saying that the compensation backlog for veterans has been reduced to 400,000. The real question might be, "Why is there a backlog, at all?"

With all of the heated rhetorical rancor surrounding Obamacare, Alabama had no problem taking grant money to set up a state exchange that it never intended to implement. Gov. Robert Bentley bet wisely that no one would look at the shenanigans of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield monopoly and that any greedy schemes by big insurance would be blamed on Obama. But like those sleight-of-hand card tricks, no one saw the deception right in front of them and voters forgot to ask, "Where did all that money go?" Why are there still hundreds of thousands in Alabama unnecessarily without health insurance of any kind?

Why are SNAP benefits being cut when highly profitable oil companies are receiving billions in government subsidies?

Why is the Alabama court system struggling with funding and why has the concept of "speedy justice" become a cynical oxymoron?

These serious issues and many more are the unintended consequences of small-government conservatism, which claims that any program or service offered by the government is inherently inefficient or intrinsically destined for eventual failure. The philosophy of social Darwinism (known colloquially as, "Pull yourself up by your own boot straps") that is foundational to small government conservatism claims that big government programs foster a "nanny" state. Further, it would have people accept the warped idea that any sort of government assistance breeds life-long dependence and that government has no real duty to safeguard the welfare of its citizenry.

Oddly, the small-government conservatives seem to favor war over diplomacy, but later thank veterans by cutting their benefits, limiting their access to services, and remembering their service only on holidays that make good photo opportunities for the next campaign.

Strangely, the small-government conservatives have no problem funding a Department of Defense budget that is so monstrously large that it has never been properly audited or held financially accountable for its obvious inefficiencies due to a common belief that much of its activities must remain secret.

Therein lies the false dichotomy of the "big" versus "small" government debate because issues have been conceptually framed around the size of government, as opposed to analyzing a program's effectiveness or its intended outcomes.

The opposition to the Affordable Care Act has largely revolved around the idea that "it's government-run health care" and, since "government is bad," then health care reform must certainly be bad. Rather than help try to make necessary reform successful, small-government conservatives, like Gov. Bentley, have thrown all their monkey wrenches in the gears to ensure that it fails. In states that have embraced the program, they are seeing positive results. And with all their heated opposition, the small-government conservatives have yet to offer a viable alternative solution that would address the nation's health care crisis.

Folks need to remember that there are unintended consequences to making government so small that it can be "drowned in a bath tub." That's something to think about the next time an understaffed and underfunded government agency tells you that it will take six months to get back with you, or when the line for services wraps around the building twice.

Clete Wetli is head of the Madison County Democratic Party, and volunteer community blogger for AL.com.