78-04-B3
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1978
| << Previous Broadcast | Next Broadcast >> |
Contents
Budget
TranscriptIs it possible that federal spending or, for that matter, all government spending has grown so great that we've become numbed and can't envision the huge figures--billions, trillions even? Let's try to envision the enormity of half a trillion dollars Washington will spend in one year by picturing it this way: if, 2000 years ago, we had started spending $700,000 a day every day, we'd just now be at the point of having spent what our government will spend in one year. Maybe it's impossible for us to picture spending $700,000 a day even once let alone 730,000 consecutive days. Would it shock you to know the federal government spends $57 million an hour round the clock every day including Sundays and holidays? That's $1.37 billion a day. Now, try this one: 1929 (prior to the crash) wasn't a bad year as far as government services were concerned. I don't recall anyone complaining because the federal government wasn't telling us how to run our lives. The total federal budget was $2.6 billion. In the 50 years from then till next years budget we've increased our annual spending by 20,000 per cent while population has only increased 80 per cent. Spending has increased 250 times faster than has population. And, don't let anyone tell you the men in uniform are to blame. National security is supposed to be the primary responsibility of the federal government. Just 10 years ago almost half the federal budget --43.6 per cent--was for defense now it's only one-fourth. Today a half or more of the budget is for social welfare programs of various kinds. Today we have more people dependent on government than we have working and earning in private business and industry to support themselves, their families and the government. The Brookings Institution puts the figure of those dependent on tax dollars for their year round living at 81.3 million people. Government's only source of revenue consists of 70.2 million citizens on private payrolls. I've thrown a lot of figures at you but I still don't think I've described or made understandable how much $500 billion is so one last try. It is roughly $2300 a year for every man, woman and child in America. If you are part of the average family--a family of our, two adults, two children, your share of the Federal budget for the coming year is $9200 and we haven't even mentioned state and local governments. You've got a right to feel sorry for yourself. Federal employees average $4000 a year more money than you make. It took the United States 173 years (until 1962) to hit the first $100 billion budget. We added the second 100 billion in just nine years. It took four more years to add the third, two years to add the fourth and one year to make it that fifth 100 billion for the, "tight, lean" half-a-trillion dollar budget. Some of you have children who won't even have gotten rid of their braces by the time it's a full trillion dollars. Isn't it time we borrowed an expression from our fellow citizens of latin descent--"Ya Basta"--we've had it. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
Details
| |||||||||||
Added Notes |
