Government Getting Smaller in the U.S.

The New York Times ^ | 05/04/2012 | Floyd Norris

[Purrcival]

FOR the first time in 40 years, the government sector of the American economy has shrunk during the first three years of a presidential administration. Spending by the federal government, adjusted for inflation, has risen at a slow rate under President Obama. But that increase has been more than offset by a fall in spending by state and local governments, which have been squeezed by weak tax receipts.

[Errant]

The NYT is lower than whale dung. No wonder they're laying off staff right and left...

Even a kindergartner would bust a gut laughing at the claim that the federal government is getting smaller...

[RobinOfKingston]

To say “having a hard time believing it” is being polite. It is utter BS. Military up or military down, should not be factored in, only civilian gubmint workers. By that standard there is little doubt that it is up. 16,000 new IRS “healthcare workers,” alone.

[Sudetenland]

Part of the lie they tell about the Democrat agenda. They now try to defend Obama's and their spending on more and more federal government by pointing out that states are busy doing the hard work of cutting spending and prioritizing budgets.

They know that conservatives true target is federal spending, but they disingenuously include local and state government spending when they claim that government is shrinking.

Local governments may indeed be shrinking, but the federal government has exploded in size and cost.

[Carriage Hill]

LOLOL!

[tcrlaf]

State and local governments are cutting back because THEY ARE OUT OF MONEY due to ever-decreasing local tax revenues.
The Democrat Public-Sector Pensions Bomb is really hitting localities hard right now.

[BuffaloJack]

More bullsh!t from Obama’s Propaganda Ministry.

[Iron Munro]

BRIDGE FOR SALE

Fantastic Opportunity - Don't Wait Too Late!

Call 1-800-Hope-N-Change

[C210N]

The federal government after 3 years IS smaller in EVERY way... except for just one: it used to be $3 Trillion and now it’s $5 Trillion. But other than that, it’s smaller!

[Levante]

“More bullsh!t from Obama’s Propaganda Ministry.”

Exactly. Lying sons of b!#ches.

They should be lined up and SHOT.

[outpostinmass2]

My state and local government is not shrinking. An expanded federal government does nothing for me either.

[Vendome]

LOLLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!

What next? Barracks creates, produces and directs the biggest selling Broadway play....EVUH!!!!????

[Le Chien Rouge]

The Government getting smaller is a d—k shrinking after the
Viagra(stimulus) starts wearing off.

The government is still a d—k and is still reaming us every chance it gets.

Sorry to be graphic...

[Vendome]

LOLLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!

What next? Barracks creates, produces and directs the biggest selling Broadway play....EVUH!!!!????

[I still care]

Wow. Tell that to the owners of a shop I know.

Their opening was delayed at least eight months by a local zoning Nazi who had this very strange interpretation of the zoning code - he felt a quarter of their space should be allocated towards bathrooms. And nothing would shake him. When he was finally trumped by someone with some sense, he kept coming back and submarining their approvals, out of pure nastiness. It took them an extra year to open, and they had to pay rent all that time.

Government nazis can be more destructive than the average person has any concept of. You tell people these stories, and they refuse to believe it, especially libs. They think you MUST be wrong, or lying.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Certainly true here in Pennsylvania. Gov. Corbett has been doing yeoman’s work in this regard. You can tell because universities, school districts, advocates for the poor, and all the other usual suspects are screaming bloody murder.

[crusadersoldier]

Just this month we hear unemployment is down, April budget “surplus” and now government is getting smaller. Our Main Street Media would make Joseph Goebbels blush.

[KarlInOhio]

From a previous debunking, the primary cause is that social security, food stamps, unemployment and other direct benefit payments (not sure about medicare and medicaid) are not counted as government sections of the GDP but rather as part of the private GDP. Huh? That's some mighty creative accounting.

[kevinm13]

Sounds like the same type of accounting that has plagued the unemployment numbers for the past 3 years. Reduce the number of people in the sample and it looks like unemployment isn’t so bad. If the same measures were used in 2008 and 2012, the unemployment rate (lets say U-3) would be about 11% now versus the 8.2% the 0bama administration publishes. U-6 is close to 19% with the same measures used.

Lies, damned lies and statistics.

[Paine in the Neck]

Even if it does get smaller by this limited measure it is still an overwhelming burden due to the ever growing halo gov't made up of the nearly endless line of organizations, associations, services, companies, etc, etc all feeding at the public trough. This means everyone from crony 'captalists' like GE to Planned Parenthood to universities to Sierra Club ad infinitum. We've all got to get off the gov't dole - even if our cause, organization, society, club, museum... is 'worthy'.

[2001convSVT]

Rep. Joe Wilson was right, “You Lie”.