Veronique de Rugy on Why Government Spending Is a Bipartisan Problem
As we enter Barack Obama's second term, a look at government spending patterns during the last few decades offers some relevant—and surprising—insights. With the one clear exception of President Dwight Eisenhower, reports Veronique de Rugy, all Republican and Democratic administrations between 1945 and 2013 have increased spending from their predecessor's final fiscal year in office. What's more, during the last 30 years, Republican administrations have spent taxpayer money at a much faster rate than Democratic administrations. Even Obama has kept spending relatively flat compared to the likes of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.