Our Constitutional Moment

Originally published in Indiana Policy Review

The United States are in a constitutional crisis, with a national government that will not and cannot control its growth. A single indicator tells the entire story: In the 68 years since the end of World War II, federal spending has exceeded revenue in 56 of those years.

The United States are in a constitutional crisis, with a national government that will not and cannot control its growth. A single indicator tells the entire story: In the 68 years since the end of World War II, federal spending has exceeded revenue in 56 of those years.[1] More importantly, the average size of federal deficits has ballooned from less than 1 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the 1950s and 1960s to more than 5 percent of GDP today,[2] leaving young Americans and coming generations with a fiscal burden that will not be resolved without serious economic pain.

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