Often times we think that who is in power creates a noticeable change in the way money taz dollars are spent and thus quality of life can greatly change in a country. This is more of an illusion than anything else. Perhaps driven by whatever the media cycle says about an existing president.
Below is a video showing US discretionary spending over the last 55 years.
Two clear points come from this graph:
- It does not matter which political party is in power, the US government does the same thing with tax dollars. The two party system is an illusion, practically speaking.
- More than half of what is left after paying for entitlements goes to military spending.
For further reference, below is a graph that compares discretionary spending vs mandatory spending. Also illustrating not much changes no matter which party is elected.
What shall we do with this information? Realize that the system we live in is what is creating the poor outcomes nobody wants. It’s not who is elected into power. For more on this, read this essay.
