May 2, 2008

U.S. News magazine last week had a cover story that proclaimed the era of big government is not over. It was a play on a Bill Clinton line after republicans took the house in the 1992 election.

U.S. News appears to be correct. According to Wednesday’s USA Today, federal, state and local governments are hiring new workers at the fastest pace in six years. By contrast, private companies collectively shed 286,000 workers in the first three months of 2008.

Why do we need more government and more government workers? What are they doing for us that we can’t do for ourselves, or wouldn’t do for ourselves if government let us?

The federal government increased its workforce by 13,800 in the first three months of this year. Local governments added 47,000 employees and states hired 16,000. And the taxpayers are paying their salaries. Do we need bigger and more expensive government? Why don’t they ever ask us before spending more of our money. This is very sad.

---

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.