Devildawg15's blog: "Spending Spiraling Out of Control"

"All parts of government are growing," especially the federal budget,
argues economist Brian Reidl in a new report on runaway government spending.

Reidl explains that bailouts, the "stimulus" package, and
expansions of entitlement programs have caused federal spending to
increase at a pace not seen since World War II.


Here are some alarming statistics Riedl dug up:

*  $4.004 trillion -- federal government spending in 2009, a
record.
*  $1.845 trillion -- federal spending beyond its means in 2009,
the deficit.
*  $33,932 -- federal spending per household in 2009.
*  $25,969 -- federal spending per household in 2008.
*  $12,072 -- tax increases required per household to pay for
runaway spending on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security by
2050. (Alternatively, we could reform the programs.)
*  46 cents -- amount of every dollar Washington spends in 2009
that will be borrowed.
*  32 percent -- increase in federal spending 2008-2009
*  13 percent -- amount of the 2009 budget deficit relative to
America's economic output. This is double the previous record

President Obama has repeatedly excused the government's spending spree
as a necessary, but temporary, consequence of an inherited problem.
The trouble is, as Riedl notes, that this spending is far from
temporary: the President's 2010 budget would "replace this temporary
spending with new permanent programs."

The President's budget proposal would create annual deficits of just
under $1 trillion over the next 10 years, which is double the
pre-recession deficit. And this lofty figure doesn't even include the
President's costly public health care plan, which Riedl says "just
digs the nation's financial hole deeper."

Earlier this year, the President patted his administration on the back
for saving a paltry $100 million. But there are real savings
available: Riedl highlights the Congressional Budget Office's "Budget
Options" book, which identifies $140 billion in potential spending
cuts.