NationStates Jolt Archive

So, as I was reading my textbook yesterday, I found this great fact.

Number of government officials:
Circa Jefferson's presidency: 1 per 1,914 citizens
Circa today: 1 per 62 :eek:

Geez, do we really need 1800 other people to control our daily lives???

People now rely on the gov. much more than in 1800, plus there are so much more things in the world today.

People now rely on the gov. much more than in 1800, plus there are so much more things in the world today.
I admit that some growth not proportional to population is expected . . . but by 1800 more officials per citizen????

I admit that some growth not proportional to population is expected . . . but by 1800 more officials per citizen????
Its not 1800 more.
Circa Jefferson's presidency: 1 per 1,914 citizens
Circa today: 1 per 62

One more official: 1 per 850, one more, 1 per 425, one more, 1 per 212.5, one more, 1 per 100, one more, 1 per 50...ect.

The government also gets more money nowadays than in Jefferson's day, we have about 200 million more taxpayers.

This is scary. Government growth is out of control. I wish we had the tiny government that we had during Jefferson's era.

I read the title: Government Growth: and all I could think of was a giant cancerous growth needing to be removed and anihilated with radiation. . .
Kinda seems appropriate...

*I don't need no steekin' spellcheker...*

This is scary. Government growth is out of control. I wish we had the tiny government that we had during Jefferson's era.

Do what I do; acknowledge less of it. :)

Originally posted by Roach-Busters
This is scary. Government growth is out of control. I wish we had the tiny government that we had during Jefferson's era.

I agree :)
The government isn't the solution, it's usually the problem.

This is scary. Government growth is out of control. I wish we had the tiny government that we had during Jefferson's era.
which would be completely ineffectual because ti would not have the ability to preform necessary tasks out of sheer lack of employees. With exponential population growth comes exponential government growth. Bureaucracy is needed for all those people.

Big Government=Good.

Now the people are represented better. There are more people, so more can get done. Can you imagine a government the same size as in the 1800's? Everyone would be overwhelmed! We have more people today, not to mention the political landscape is much different. Now we have to deal with alot more foreign policy, a bigger military, more people to tax, more people to govern, more representation, more people to help the representatives...

Of course, a big government only works when it's orderly. If the order of government is lost, the whole thing comes crashing down.

Back then they had no, or few, city workers to service roads and public buildings. There was no such thing as a police force when Jefferson was in office. They didn't have all of the government programs going that they have today (Whether this is exactly your concern or not I don't know. Some are good, some aren't.). There is a lot more dependence on the government today then there was then. Partly because the needs of an efficent society have changed with the growth of technology, partly because the government has slowly asserted more control of dubious nature over us since then.

So you have 200 million more tax payers (capita) and the ratio has gone from 1: 1914 to 1:62
This means
(100,000,000/1914)= +/- 52,250
(300,000,000/62) = +/- 4,838,700

Just an increase of of 4,750,000 (rounding down for errors) government staff.

Now the people are represented better. There are more people, so more can get done.

As far as the government is concerned these are all a matter of proportion. If we had preserved the structure of the government we had in 1800 up to today it'd be larger numerically, but it'd be proportionally the same.

Now we have to deal with alot more foreign policy, a bigger military, more people to tax, more people to govern, more representation, more people to help the representatives...

We delt with foreign policy back then too. In fact, it's easier today with telephones and satalites. We have more embassies now I guess. More people to govern would fall under the proportinal growth of government. We haven't added any new bodies of representation since the current government was established.

This is scary. Government growth is out of control. I wish we had the tiny government that we had during Jefferson's era.
And Jefferson thought we should be an entirely agrarian society.

And Jefferson thought we should be an entirely agrarian society.
So? Times were different back then...

Governments only get larger - That is eventually how all government forms eventually over the span of time become a dictatatorship..

Or atleast in some sense of the form of dictatorship, You can only increase government - unitl that Government rules your very existence - Then at that moment - When enough people are tired of the rule - BECAUSE the once voice they had CAN never be heard - Or is ineffective in those with Powers over them - They Fight back .. Often later then they should - Making the grounds for a VERY long and hard road of over throwing the government to start anew...

Enjoy...

Troy* :fluffle: