Some critics say big government is the biggest impediment to our economy and financial system, while others say it is big business. But financial author Nassim Taleb says both are to blame.

"They're both very bad, particularly big government,” he tells CNBC.

“Big government ends up like socialist states. They end up favoring large corporations that have a lot of employees. That kills growth from small companies who cannot get to Washington, they cannot get lobbyists."

Taleb, who rose to fame with his book “The Black Swan,” has just published a new book, "The Bed of Procrustes." The new book says those who rail against big government while supporting big business are "inconsistent and corrupt."

Taleb has plenty of criticism for both Democrats and Republicans, offering himself up as the know-it-all. "The problem I have is that Republicans love big business, and Democrats love big government, and I hate both big business and big government."

The new book is a collection of aphorisms that don’t exactly shatter new ground. "My idea is that you should focus on the small guy, the small businessman," he said.

Rep. Jim Jordan, incoming chairman of the Republican Study Committee, also is concerned about big government. “That’s what the election was about,” he tells Newsmax.TV. “The election was about ‘Quit the crazy spending, keep the tax rates in place but cut the crazy spending.’"