Forced Redistribution Majority of Federal Spending, Deficit

As you listen to commentators talking about “excessive” military spending and the federal budget deficit, this is your friendly periodic reminder that all U. S. military spending amounts to only 16% of federal spending, while forced redistribution represents 59% of federal spending.  In dollar terms, forced redistribution is now the majority of what the federal government does; the federal government is literally a huge forced-redistribution operation with a smaller national-defense side project.

Don’t take my word for it; these numbers are according to the CBPP, which even the left agrees is of the left.

Latest House-Republican Budget Would Balance Budget in Estimated 10 Years

Paul Ryan introduces his and House Republicans’ proposed budget for the coming year:

America’s national debt is over $16 trillion. Yet Washington can’t figure out how to cut $85 billion—or just 2% of the federal budget—without resorting to arbitrary, across-the-board cuts. Clearly, the budget process is broken. In four of the past five years, the president has missed his budget deadline. Senate Democrats haven’t passed a budget in over 1,400 days. By refusing to tackle the drivers of the nation’s debt—or simply to write a budget—Washington lurches from crisis to crisis.

All the Numbers You Always Wanted on Government Spending (But Were Afraid to Ask)

(Come for the pretty graphs; stay for the mounting sense of terror!)

I thought it would be useful to have all these data together in one place for easy reference, illustrated with easy-to-understand graphs, with links to solid sources.  I’ve even added a convenient hyperlinked table of contents:

• Government Keeps Growing

• Forced Redistribution Is Now the Main Thing the Federal Government Does

• “Fair Share”

• Federal Government Borrows More than a Third of Every Dollar It Spends

• “But I Heard Obama Has Been Really Responsible!”

Josh Mandel Could Win Ohio

State Treasurer Josh Mandel is the Republican nominee for Senate from Ohio.  He is running against incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown.

Josh Mandel Takes BBA Pledge

It’s a small but important victory:  Ohio current state treasurer and Senate candidate Josh Mandel has just become the most prominent politician to date to take the People’s Balanced Budget Amendment pledge.

A month and a half ago, I discussed and recommended We Demand a Balanced Budget .com, which encourages people to take one of two pledges:

• Candidates pledge to work to pass a balanced-budget amendment to the U. S. Constitution if elected.

• Citizens pledge not to donate money toward, or otherwise support, any candidate who has not taken that pledge.  (Obviously citizens are still free to, and should, cast their vote for the more conservative candidate every time, regardless of whether he has taken the pledge.)