Posted on 04/15/2007 9:23:59 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Maybe the era of big government isn't over, after all.
As Americans finish their annual tax-filing flurry to meet a Tuesday deadline, it is true that tax rates are lower than they were a few years ago. But according to a different yardstick, the federal government's reach is expanding.
Slightly over half of all Americans – 52.6 percent – now receive significant income from government programs, according to an analysis by Gary Shilling, an economist in Springfield, N.J. That's up from 49.4 percent in 2000 and far above the 28.3 percent of Americans in 1950. If the trend continues, the percentage could rise within ten years to pass 55 percent, where it stood in 1980 on the eve of President's Reagan's move to scale back the size of government.
That two-decade shrink-the-government trend now appears over, if for no other reason than demographics. The aging baby-boomer generation is poised to receive big payments from Social Security and government healthcare programs.
"New Deal programs persist," despite the Reagan revolution and its aftermath, says James Galbraith, an economist at the University of Texas in Austin. "They persist because they are largely successful and highly popular."
Mr. Shilling's analysis found that about 1 in 5 Americans hold a government job or a job reliant on federal spending. A similar number receive Social Security or a government pension. About 19 million others get food stamps, 2 million get subsidized housing, and 5 million get education grants. For all these categories, Mr. Shilling counted dependents as well as the direct recipients of government income.
Many Americans, in surveys, say they don't like the way their tax money is spent. And a majority now says, in a reversal from a year ago, that their federal income taxes are too high, according to an April Gallup poll.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
the entire government is on the tax payer dole. it is not he government’s money... it is the people’s. there.
2 late
“Slightly over half of all Americans – 52.6 percent – now receive significant income from government programs, according to an analysis by Gary Shilling, an economist in Springfield, N.J. That’s up from 49.4 percent in 2000 and far above the 28.3 percent of Americans in 1950. If the trend continues, the percentage could rise within ten years to pass 55 percent, where it stood in 1980 on the eve of President’s Reagan’s move to scale back the size of government.”
Is this what a decade of Republican rule in congress and six years in the White House get us?
What does Shilling consider to be a job dependant on government spending? The company I work for has a number of governmental clients (fed and state), of course we also have every single Fortune 500 company as clients. Is my job dependant on government spending? Given that that accounts for 20% of his 52% I think we need the term defined.
A valid question.
Half???? Well, there’s the dim voters.
New Deal programs persist because the sponge off of one segment of society and give to another. The spongers then vote for continued sponging.
Aging baby boomers. Will only get worse.
Yep.
worse than SS....federal, state, county and city civil service pensions........it’ll make the SS crisis seem gentle by comparison.....
He forgot to mention the farmers who get paid not to grow certain crops and teachers who work for local school districts but whose paychecks are covered with federal education money.
HOW DO WE TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK?!!
When was the last time you saw geriatrics riot ??
here come the baby boomers....hopefully most have saved a penny or two on their way towards old age and wont need government assistance. heopfully!
Yup. Though I figure if the Dems had it the % would be higher.
Choose the devil or the deep blue sea.
F.D.R. is one answer.
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