Interesting article.

Some point that stick out:

  • In 1929, the U.S. government was spending 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
  • Obama's first budget will consume 28 percent of the entire GDP; state and local governments another 15 percent. While there is some overlap, in 2009, government will consume 40 percent of GDP, approaching the peak of World War II.
  • The deficit for 2009 is $1.8 trillion, 13 percent of the whole economy.
  • The D.C.-based Tax Foundation says New Yorkers could face a combined income tax rate of near 60 percent.
  • While the hardest-working and most productive are bled, a third of all wage-earners pay no U.S. income tax, and Obama plans to free almost half of all wage-earners of all income taxes. Yet, tens of millions get Medicaid, rent supplements, free education, food stamps, welfare and an annual check from Uncle Sam called an Earned Income Tax Credit, though they never paid a nickel in income taxes.
  • "The United States is declining as a nation and a world power with mostly sighs and shrugs to mark this seismic event," writes Les Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, in CFR's Foreign Affairs magazine. "Astonishingly, some people do not appear to realize that the situation is all that serious."
If this was a recipe its title would be, "How to make a country socialist in 4 years."

I'd be happy to hear why this "change" is a good thing from the Obama supports. Hopefully, we get some serious replies!