More dependence on government
December 5, 2006| By Nathaniel Ward
Last week, The Heritage Foundation published its latest Index of Dependency, which studies how much Americans rely on the government to get by. This year’s Index, unfortunately, “found that dependence on government has grown steadily and at an alarming rate in recent years.”
This means that “federal government services and programs have grown in areas in which private or community-based services and programs exist or have existed to address the same or similar needs.” It should be remembered, of course, that this isn’t a problem just of economics: when government displaces families and civil society institutions, the traditional values that have made our country strong suffer as well.
Click here to read the complete—and disturbing—results of the study.
According to the study, which examines government spending on housing, health and welfare, retirement, education, and rural and agricultural services,
- Americans in 2005 were 6.42 percent more dependent on government than in 2004
- Since 1980, which is used as the benchmark, the Index has more than doubled, increasing by 138 percent.
The recent rise is part of an unfortunate trend, author Bill Beach writes. “Historically, individuals and local entities have typically provided more assistance than they do today. However, particularly during the 20th century, government has gradually provided more and more services that were previously provided by self-help and mutual aid organizations.” Beach cites housing, health care and financial assistance to the needy as areas where government has butted in.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.