Do We Need Big Government? | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

Do We Need Big Government? | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: 'Government payouts now account for more than a third of all wages and salaries in the United States. Worse, if one includes government employees’ salaries, more than half of Americans receive a substantial portion of their income from the government.'

'People talk about America’s free-market health-care system, but government pays for more than half of all health-care spending in this country.

Federal-government spending now consumes roughly a quarter of all the goods and services produced in this country over the course of a year. Throw in state- and local-government spending, and it’s more than a third. And, according the Congressional Budget Office, unless there is a drastic change in our current policies, we are on course for government to consume nearly 60 percent of GDP by mid-century.'

'The Federal Register now stands at an all time high of 81,405 pages. Nearly every product you buy and everything you do is regulated by the federal government in some way.'