Public dependence on the federal government increased by 23 percent in two years under the watch of President Obama, according to a study.
This number represents the largest two-year jump since Jimmy Carter was president, according to Investor’s Business Daily, which reported on the Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of Dependence on Government study.
Investor’s Business Daily reports:
The report also found that spending on "dependence programs" accounts for more than 70% of the federal budget. That, too, is up dramatically. In 1990, for example, the figure stood at 48.5%, and in 1962 just over a quarter of federal spending went to dependence programs.
At the same time, fewer Americans pay income taxes, the report notes. Almost half (49.5%) didn't pay income taxes in 2009, the latest year for which the researchers have data. Back in the late 1960s, only 12% of Americans escaped the income tax burden.