The power of the federal government can accomplish a great deal, and thus it is tempting to try and steer that power and -- when it is steered where you want -- to increase that power. Natural disasters? Call in the feds to rescue everyone. Health problems? Call in the feds to force people to live healthier. Don't like your local state government? Call in the feds to overrule them.
But what about when the government is not in your favor? What protection do people have against the leviathan becoming a harmful tyranny?
The best formula I know is the combination of democracy and written law. Democracy means that at least the majority of the people can be satisfied. If the goverenment ever gets completely out of touch with the people, the people can change to a different government. Written law, judged by independent courts, means that what the government decides is what counts. Even a senator cannot commit murder and walk away, and even the most unpopular of minorities is entitled to their day in court.
This formula is the most important policy issue to me. While I care about a number of individual policy issues, this one trumps them all. So long as we are democratic and follow written law, the individual issues can be worked out peacefully over time. If tyranny takes hold, there is no way back but violent revolt.