by John Stossel
For most of the life of America, and when it grew fastest, government spent just a few hundred dollars per person. Today, the federal government alone spends $10,000. Politicians talk about cuts, but the cuts rarely happen. The political class always needs more.
I see the pressure. All day, Congress listens to people who say they need and deserve help.
The cost of any one program per taxpayer is small, but the benefits are concentrated on well-organized interest groups. It’s tough for a weak politician to say no.
But maybe things are changing. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., believes that “more and more people in America are beginning to wake up to the fact that this thing is coming unglued.”
I asked Ryan why his colleagues say it’s OK to spend more. Are they just stupid? Don’t they care? Or are they pandering for votes?
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