The Empirical Evidence Against Big Government

Building on a previous mini-documentary that focused on theory, this video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation presents real-world data and research showing that the burden of government spending is far too high not only in the United States (where the Bush-Obama policies have increased the federal budget by more than 100 percent), but also in other nations where government budgets sometimes consume more than one-half of an economy's output.
www.freedomandprosperity.org

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• keynes
• keynesian
• spending
• economic
• growth
• obama
• stimulus
• government
• flat
• tax
• fair

[Reasonjester]

No way, the government must encompass everything for us all to be happy. Nothing short of totalitarian control of the economy will do. At least that's what my radical leftist professor said.

[TheKempqueen]

They may have more of a free market than us, but their governments are bigger so they take more money from the people... that chart said "Not including fiscal policy"...

[lavedon]

@Samshile well said.

[Samshile]

If goverment gives you everything you need, then govenment can take away everything you need.

[strabes88]

@Torakization you must be kidding.

[Torakization]

Empirical evidence.

1920's -- Tax cuts.

1930's - Rescission

1970's - Tax cuts

1980's - Rescission

2000's - Tax cuts

2010's - Rescission

[pciswrong]

@UBSCARED I understand your statistics, but I think they are far less important that the statistics given by @Slipknotyk06. I am far more concerned about unemployment (especially amongst the young) as compared with employed of those over 65 yrs of age. Who cares? I know many people of that age who work because they enjoy it. (i.e. My grandy is 80 and still nursing, and it has nothing to do with money.)

[Slipknotyk06]

@UBSCARED - I misunderstood your comment I thought your contention was that 20% were UNemployed.

I personally don't care if more people are employed at later ages. This adds to productivity, sir. Even old workers are appreciated in the labor force. Many of these whom are still employed are not so merely because they cannot afford retirement, but because they don't seek retirement, and are physically fit TO work.

[tdp1909]

@UBSCARED To me your statistics about the EU does little more than enhance the argument that government is bad for growth. All the petty regulations of the EU & strict limits on retirement, vacation days etc means that it has less prosperity & creeping unemployment.

It's no wonder people call it the EUSSR as it's no longer interested in growth, but instead specialises in centralising power & crushing democracy.

[Slipknotyk06]

@UBSCARED - I call bullshit on your statistics.

OECD indicates this information is NOT tracked by France. However, greater than 1/3 of working-age people in France are unemployed, 3.5 times more than the US.

IZA(dot)Org indicates this information is NOT tracked by Germany either, however the closest demographic is at 15%

BLS January 2008 indicates around 3% unemployment among those 55 and over.

Stop making crap up.

[FRSFreeStateES]

"Big Government" has a couple versions. There's the more commonly know Socialist Democratic form of "Big Government" with a big Welfare State like you see in Europe. But there's also an Authoritarian Conservative form of "Big Government".

[mavaufberlin]

i love the wig and crazy accent!