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Become A Polymath
Challenging My Automatic Go-tos
As with everyone, I have pithy sayings I rarely rethink. One of my favorite go-to phrases is, “We have the biggest government to ever exist in the history of mankind.”
But do we really?
The modern American government sucks regardless of its size, but I wanted to take a deep dive into my assumed belief.
There are specific criteria I needed to think about when exploring this topic. I knew there was not a singular number I could point to and say, “Yeah, see, that’s it.”
Therefore, there are a variety of factors I considered, such as:
Government Spending and Budget: The United States federal government has one of the largest budgets in the world. We have a budget of $6 trillion dollars. We’re paying for all kinds of programs, such as mandatory spending (entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid), discretionary spending (defense and non-defense spending controlled through annual appropriations), and interest on the debt.
We aren’t stuck in 8th-grade civics, so we know $6 trillion is not the actual number. But the United States definitely has the largest budget in the world.
Military Size and Reach: The United States has the largest military budget in the world and maintains a global military presence with bases in numerous countries. This extensive military reach is significant to the government's size and influence. We have over 750 military bases worldwide (that the Pentagon has publically acknowledged). This far outstrips anything any other country has.
Bureaucratic Size: The number of employees working for the federal government, including military personnel, civilian employees, and postal workers, is substantial.
However, and this surprised me, when compared to the total population, the size of the U.S. government bureaucracy is not the largest in the world. Some other countries have a higher ratio of government employees to the general population. I’m skeptical that this would matter much, as a government with fewer employees can still be tyrannical. But it’s a legitimate point nonetheless.
Global Influence and Diplomatic Reach: The U.S. government has diplomatic relations with pretty much every country except the obvious ones like North Korea. We have always had a significant influence on international institutions and global affairs. This aspect of "size" goes beyond physical and financial measures to include geopolitical influence.
No matter who is in the White House, other countries listen when the U.S. government makes decisions.
Public Sector as a Percentage of GDP: Some analyses look at the public sector's size as a percentage of the country's GDP. By this measure, the U.S. does not have the largest government; many Scandinavian countries, for example, have a larger public sector relative to their economies.
Regulatory Apparatus: Firstly, there are regulations on local, state, and federal levels. Three layers of government means more places for bureaucracy to reign supreme.
Secondly, hundreds of federal agencies and sub-agencies are involved in regulatory activities. This includes major entities like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), among others.
Thirdly, the federal government alone has over 200 volumes with tens of thousands of pages of regulation.
Lastly, the economic impact of regulations is significant, with estimates of the cost of compliance for businesses running into hundreds of billions of dollars annually. These costs arise from adhering to regulatory requirements across various sectors, including healthcare, finance, environmental protection, and workplace safety.
Conclusion
In conclusion, saying the United States government is the largest government ever may be a stretch. However, I can say it is the largest modern government.
I make this claim because it highlights how unfree we are.
Most weak individuals believe it is a lack of laws and government that explains social and economic issues such as poverty, sexual degeneracy, and corruption. The reality is the government is quite large, and its massive influence drives the societal dysfunction we see.
The solution is going to be, as always, personal responsibility. Until individuals are responsible for themselves, we will not see society improve.
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