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Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 446 -- Our Enormous Federal Government.

FDR Changed Things Forever-

Amity Shales, on the roots of big government:

In 1936, Washington's spending as a share of the economy rose by a full third, to $7.8 billion from $5.6 billion. Federal spending as a share of gross domestic product had risen before, but relatively slowly. That year it climbed to 9.3 percent from 7.6 percent of GDP.

It is important to note how these numbers related to state spending. Looking at charts produced by the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based research group, we see that in 1936, for the first time except some months during wars, federal spending rose well above state spending.

And the federal government has never looked back.

Today, for example, it takes the average American 79 days to pay his federal tax burden, and 41 more days to pay the state and local burden. Both are way too high, but the federal burden is nearly twice as large. A visual of that:

Incidentally, in thinking about all the polls showing that young people are leaning inordinately leftward these days, it will be interesting to see how young people who actually pay taxes view the impending and likely inevitable post-Bush tax hikes, come 2011 or so. The media and Democrats will say, "we're just repealing the Bush tax cuts."

Ah, yes, just going back to the natural and optimal level of taxation, after several years of abnormally low levels.

It is difficult to imagine young people who know nothing else than the Bush levels of taxation-- hitting their higher-earning 30s just as Democrats drastically raise taxes-- not having a sudden ideological and partisan change of heart. Especially if Democrats keep this up for much longer.

Previous Trivia Tidbit: Regulations On Health Care Are Costly.

Posted by Will Franklin · 5 July 2007 05:57 PM

Comments

Posted by: Assistant Village Idiot at July 6, 2007 07:27 AM

Posted by: Wesson at July 10, 2007 05:31 PM