Reconceptualizing the size of our government

We tend to understimate the size of our government.  I suspect that if we factored in the amount of tax breaks we give for charitable donations, which as as a government payment to charities, we’d see an impact on the size of government as a percentage of GDP.  Same if we looked at tax breaks given to companies on types of debt they issue; tax breaks on mortgage interest; or tax breaks given to corporations to settle in communities.  And we should also factor in our annual budget deficit.

More importantly, our government could provide more and better social services (R&D, national health insurance, infrastructure) if we shifted resources away from farm subsidies and the military.  It is a lot easier to pay for neonatal care when you don’t have to pay for JDAMs.  I am not saying we should abandon our military and retreat into pacifism, but it does seem that our military receives more money than it needs.  On the other hand, the security we provide, especially to international shipping, is a public good and should, ideally, be compensated for by other nations; I don’t see this happening.