What numbers are you using? From Table 1.3, in 2000 dollars, Federal outlays in 2008 were about $2.7 trillion. Outlays in 1975 were $1.15 trillion. That's a multiplier of 2.35. The Federal budget cracked the "1.52" barrier in 1990.
The Federal government is grossly oversized, and there are any number of ridiculous excuses to justify it. One of the most popular is that the size of government has been fairly constant relative to GDP, as though somehow the things government has to do for the people would double as GDP doubles. Which government service falls into THAT category? As the country gets richer we need more government? How do they arrive at that conclusion?
Even "per capita" is suspect, unless you assume every new person in this country is living off government benefits.
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Re: What the hell
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