by Jeff Matthews
One of the things most abhorrent to us sovereignty-seekers is the incredible amount of bloat in Washington, D.C. While some of us are coming around to seeing that Washington, D.C. is killing this country on a non-partisan basis, the following chart illustrates this fact.
What the chart above shows is that, had the federal government grown in proportion to the U.S. population over the past 60 years, Uncle Sam would have spent approximately $2,621 per person in 2008. However, our all-wise and powerful government spent a whopping $9,828 per person in 2008. And given the magnificent packages passed this year, 2009 stands to be a real whopper! (All of the dollar amounts in the chart are inflation-adjusted to 2008 dollars per capita of federal spending.)
This means that the federal government has grown 3.75 times faster than our population. This is no trifling figure. At that rate, how much longer can this trend continue to last? Quite interesting is that the longest-standing decline in spending occurred from 1992-2000. Of course, taxation (revenues) still increased during that period.
What this means is that there is a long, long tradition on the part of both of the predominant parties to grow Washington at an irresponsible rate.  So, the question must necessarily follow: “Can turning the government back over to Republicans be viewed as a potential remedy to a government bloat that threatens the fiscal soundness of our entire nation?â€Â The answer would appear to be a clear “no.â€Â The track record over the last 60 years proves this.
If history is to serve as a lesson, then, it should be entirely predictable that when Republicans regain control over Congress and the administration, they will inherit a yet larger government and continue to grow it further. We should begin seeking solutions from sources other than our traditional parties. Perhaps the Libertarian Party should be given a chance.
It is admittedly difficult to forsake the Republican Party at the potential expense of leaving the Democrats in power for perhaps years to come. However, to stay true to the Republican Party is to vote to continue the trend over the last 60 years. It is definitely time for a change.
Jeff Matthews [send him email] is an attorney living in Houston, Texas. His current projects include the website SovereignStates, and the forthcoming organization, The National Taxpayer Takeover.