The exact point would take a lot of thought and discussion, but it seems self-evident just from the numbers that the point was probably reached a long time ago in our country.

The Federal budget is twice what it was when Reagan was elected, in constant dollars. Three times what it was when Kennedy was president. I find it very hard to believe that there is no fat in the system right now.

I am told that it's "normal" for government to increase in proportion along with GDP and prosperity. That makes little sense, given the main functions of government. It's like saying the wealthier a population is, the more food stamps they should need.

It is a liberal article of faith that government must increase drastically at every level at all times (except for defense, of course.) When a government program doesn't accomplish its goal, the mantra is "we could do it if we just had more money." Our education system has been running on that mantra for decades, while costs per student in constant dollars have doubled, then tripled.

There is no such thing as a failed government program. There are only programs that were "underfunded."