We Have a Bloated Federal Government

The New York Times recently published an article entitled, "Bloated Government? Federal Employment at 47-Year Low".
I will not dispute the numbers, but I will say that in spite of the numbers, we do have a bloated federal government.
I say this based on the observation that we have never had in our national history, a time where citizens have been more restricted on their personal rights. For example, the government has deprived me from buying incandescent light bulbs. It is also forcing me to buy healthcare, which I don't want or need.
These restrictions obviously come from a bloated government. If the numbers show a reduced number of federal employees, it only means that they have become much more efficient in their capacity to enforce private restrictions and generally increase government control of the public.
The correction obviously must be in the direction of reducing the number of government employees. We cannot change their efficiency, but we can limit the number who are presently doing damage to our liberty, economy, and general lifestyle.