Cost of Government Day PDF | Print | E-mail
Written by Ann Shibler
Wednesday, 19 August 2009 01:36
This year Cost of Government Day fell on August 12. American workers slaved and toiled an average of 224 days out of the year to meet all costs mandated by the government. That’s 26 days longer than last year.

Of course, this is a national average. States with lower tax rates and slightly more fiscally responsible legislatures arrive at the day much sooner, and some like Taxachusetts much later. Alaska ranks number one, with 192 days, but that’s mid-July, so still, for over half the year, workers toil to pay the cost of government. Connecticut is dead last, with 250 days calculated to pay the high cost of government expenditures, so that day won’t arrive until September 7 for those unfortunate enough to live in that state.

It is no surprise to find New York, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey — those with high-profile politicians that love to implement programs that tax people into servitude — ranking near the bottom with 243 days, 235, 229, and 249 days respectively.

Of the national average 224 days, a further breakdown indicates that 111 days’ work went to federal spending — 30.36 percent of the total — with 49 days to state and local spending and another 65 days to pay for regulations imposed by all levels of government.

Had the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) not been foisted on the general public without their consent, Cost of Government Day would have arrived 18 days sooner. And another 10 days of relief might have been seen without the stimulus-related expenditures.

The Center for Fiscal Accountability and Americans for Tax Reform Foundation put together the information and made the calculations and have an excellent report that is broken down in myriad ways accompanied by case studies, charts, etc. It is worth a good look.

It’s a very good resource to share with other citizens on the high cost of government and why Americans should no longer be willing and eager to toil for the elitist government bureaucrats, in some cases, two thirds of a year. This is all certain to lengthen with each new leviathan program that comes down the perpetual money-spending machine we mistakenly refer to as our representatives in Washington.

The only way to stop the indentured servitude that is galloping toward us is to firmly say “noâ€