Dramatic Government Spending Increases are Never Enough

The Patriot News has an AP story by Marc Levy, highlighting recipients of taxpayer funding that want more taxpayer funding.  It seems these groups are living in another world.  For instance take this quote about state social service funding:

“It seems like in good times there’s never enough money and in bad times they’re the first ones to get kicked out.”

Yet under Gov. Rendell – mostly “good times” – Pennsylvania Public Welfare spending increased 62.6%, even using the numbers from the supposedly draconian PA Senate budget. I doubt many taxpayers have seen their incomes jump 63% (that would represent an increase from $50,000 to $81,500) since 2002.  And if they did get that kind of raise, I doubt they would complaining about that increase.

Furthermore, these advocates maintain the mentality that if government doesn’t fund it, it won’t occur.  They imply that the only way to show that we “care” is to take money from others through taxes and fund programs that do the best job of lobbying. 

One of the programs they talk about is preschool. Not only do they tout academic gains that will likely disappear in a few years, but they ignore the sizable private preschool market, which will be crowded out by government programs.