GDP per capita since 1980 has doubled.
Here's your "dramatic shrink."
Go to this site and have some fun generating charts.
Here's one for per-capita Federal spending in constant dollars. Note in those units that the huge 1940s peak on the chart above is about half what spending is now.
Remember, this chart corrects for inflation and population growth. We are spending twice what we were in 1975. I was around back then.
Please keep in mind that entitlement and social spending are designed (theoretically) to help those who have trouble making it on their own. A safety net. Right?
There is a rational reason that the size of a safety net would increase with population. There is no reason on earth it should track GDP. In a working society, government spending as a percent of GDP should almost be an inverse function.
Current Events » in reply to Good
Be careful with "percent of GDP" figures.
The whole thread (15 posts)
- What's driving growth in government spending