This philosophical difference is the underpinning between small government, laissez-faire capitalists (conservatives of yesteryear), and big government, pro-regulation big-brother-ists (the modern left.)

Either the masses are to be trusted and allowed to be free, or they need a heavy hand to keep them from killing themselves.

I realize my original statement was a bit opaque and came off incredibly pompous, so allow me to stand before you as the target of empties.

What I meant was more that the examples of populism I've seen appears to be more of a "Death of Expertise" - someone who directly claims they know better than an expert on the matter of policy, programs, and governing. This seems to be what we've received with populism from the time of the Know Nothings up through Trumpism and the like today. Examples such as "let's execute drug dealers", "build a border wall" and other oversimplistic solutions to complex problems.

What I did not mean was "the elected know what is best for the people" - this is why we have representative democracy. We elect people to serve our interests, and they in turn (should!) use their time and consultation of policy experts to enact policies that benefit us as a people.

I dislike both the extremes you listed - "trusted and free", taken to an extreme, leads to bad actors spoiling things for the masses. Think pre-EPA rivers and superfund sites. I also dislike big government - I think it lends itself to being wasteful, lazy, and corrupt. My local government is a great example of that.

I guess I'm a hopeless moderate, for lack of a better term.