(Check here for much better and updated charts regarding government growth.)
If there has been one consistent trend in economic developments in the United States over the past 60 years it would be the growth of the size of federal, state, and local governments in relation to the private sector.
The extent to which federal, state, and local governments in the US spend on the one hand and tax and borrow on the other hand has grown consistently. The best way to measure this is to take a look at the development of government receipts and spending as compared to total spending in the United Stated which is measured by GDP ( = Total Consumer Spending + Total Investment Spending + Total Government Spending + Exports – Imports):
As can be seen in the first chart above, government expenses as % of GDP in the US increased from 17.2% in 1948 to 31.5% in 2007. The second chart shows that taxes rose from 21.7% to 29.2% in the same period.
What is noteworthy that there was a brief period (1992 – 2000) where federal, state and local governments as a whole managed to cut its expenses as compared to the private sector from 33.4% to 29.2%. From 2001 through 2007, however, total government expenditures have once again grown consistently.
The fact that government expenses have grown throughout US history is hardly ever acknowledged or even mentioned in media outlets or by the responsible authorities. This is not surprising. For once one acknowledges it, the age-old myths about neo-liberalism, free markets on steroids, anarchy, merciless capitalism, or insufficient government funding would immediately be debunked and could no longer be utilized as convenient excuses by those in power.