here's a clear sign that the Federal govt is far too large

A brief excerpt from an essay in First Things by Jill Colvin...

Census data are used to determine the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal funds for schools, hospitals, bridges, tunnels, and other services. By some estimates, local governments stand to lose as much as $30,000 for every resident the census fails to count.

As large as the government is, this per capita estimate must be exaggerated since the government does not spend $30K per individual-- probably overall, but at least in terms of programs that would drop down to the local level.

It's absolutely amazing that the Federal govt does so much that such numbers would even be in play. Think about it: whatever the number is, this means that $X was taken from the average individual, sent to DC to go through the labyrinthian bureaucracy where they take a cut and attach some strings, before sending it back to individuals and interest groups of their choice.

Brutal....