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Ever since Franklin Roosevelt promised Americans
a “New Deal” in 1932, liberal politicians

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and pundits have insisted that the government
must do more to alleviate poverty, increase

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economic security, and enhance the quality
of life. But the word “more” implies there’s

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a level of government activity that would
be “enough.” In reality, however, there’s never enough.

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That’s because the liberal theory and practice
of activist government is an endless pursuit

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of a goal that can’t be achieved. When was
the last time you heard a liberal politician say,

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“Yeah, we solved that social ill. We’re
just going to close up that government agency now,

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zero out the budget and move on to another
problem.”

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What you hear instead is that “we need more.”
And, more always sets the stage for

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still more down the road.

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Liberalism’s lack of a limiting principle
raises two questions: First, can our republic

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govern itself on this basis? Second, should
it? My answers are…maybe. And No.

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Maybe we can go on, at least for a while,
to continue to expand entitlement spending.

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We’ve been doing it for decades. Adjusted
for inflation and population growth,

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government spending—federal, state, and local—was
nearly seven times as large in 2014

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as it was in 1948. That sounds like a perfect example
of the economist’s adage:

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if something can’t go on forever, it won’t.

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In 1948, government spending amounted to 17%—just
over one-sixth—of our gross domestic product,

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the total value of all the goods and services
produced by the American economy that year.

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In 2014, government spending was 32% of GDP,
just under one-third. This trend puts us on

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a steady course to a European social democracy—one
where government spends more than 50% of GDP.

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Europe is straining under this burden. France,
for example, the third largest economy in

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the European Union, has stagnant growth and
unemployment twice as high as America’s.

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Even nations with stronger economies, such
as Sweden and Germany, face the dilemma of

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welfare states around the world: the number
of workers paying taxes continues to decline,

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while the number of beneficiaries—those
who receive government benefits—

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continues to grow.

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America has the same problem. As it is, government
spending on social welfare and insurance programs,

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the part of the budget liberals like best,
is crowding out everything else. Such spending

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accounted for 72% of federal outlays in 2014,
twice the proportion in 1969.

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Common sense suggests this can’t go on indefinitely.

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Which brings us to the second question: Should
America govern itself on this basis?

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That is, should America become like Europe? Liberals
say yes. Conservatives say no. Conservatives

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insist that the European model is wrong for
America, even if we can afford it.

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The key to this argument is that America’s
founding did not just establish a government,

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but defined a nation with a distinct character.
Healthy skepticism of government, even when

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it announces the intention to use its power
benevolently, is a central feature of that character.

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The “don’t tread on me” spirit
that animated the founding remains strong.

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Most Americans persist in believing that a
government powerful enough to give you everything

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you want will also, necessarily, be powerful
enough to take away everything you have

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—including your freedom.

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Conservatives believe that government power
must be limited. because the alternative is

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unlimited government. Liberals don’t share
this concern. If there’s a social problem,

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they believe the best solution is a new government
program. If it fails to achieve its goal,

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which it invariably does, the solution is
a bigger government program. More.

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And when does “more” become enough? The honest
answer is “never.”

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I’m Bill Voegeli of the Claremont Institute,
for Prager University.