Thursday, January 08, 2009

The Deficit Spending Blowout: The looming red ink is unlike anything in U.S. peacetime history

The Wall Street Journal reports:
Federal expenditures are now rapidly outpacing the growth of the economy, which is expected to be negative this year. CBO estimates that even before the stimulus federal spending will climb to an all-time high 24.9% of GDP, up from the previous post-World War II high of 23.5% in 1985. Add the stimulus and bailout cash and we estimate the federal spending share of GDP will climb to 27.5%. All of this is fast pushing the U.S. to European spending levels, and that's before Mr. Obama's new health-care entitlements.
Majority voting makes it hard to limit government.