How much does the government spend, measured as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product? Or to ask it another way, what percentage of the total American economy does government spending make up? The Wall Street Journal this morning has a chart, headlined, "Government spending as a percentage of GDP," that runs along with a front-page article. The chart shows the government share climbing toward the end of the chart to about 28% or 29% of the economy. That doesn't mention, though, that it is only measuring federal government spending. Add in state and local government spending and the chart looks more like this or this, with the combine government share somewhere between 37% (2008) or 45% (2009) of the American economy. Looking only at the federal share, as the Journal chart does, understates the role of government in the economy, which in America has now reached levels roughly equal to Canada's.
Government Spending as Percent of GDP
https://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2009/06/government-spending-as-percent-of-gdp
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