How easily can the public interpret federal tax and spending figures? Even at a time of budget surpluses, the U.S. budget is too arcane to invite close public scrutiny and genuine political accountability.

Jody W. Lipford is a professor of economics at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C.
Bureaucracy and GovernmentDemocracyEconomyFederal Budget PolicyFederal Tax PolicyFiscal Policy/DebtFree Market EconomicsFreedomGovernment and PoliticsGovernment SecrecyGovernment Waste/PorkPhilosophy and ReligionPublic ChoiceTaxesTaxes and Budget
Other Independent Review articles by Jody W. Lipford
Fall 2023 How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything in Between
Summer 2021 A Fiscal Cliff: New Perspectives on the U.S. Federal Debt Crisis
Summer 2020 Is the Welfare State Crowding Out Government’s Basic Functions?: An Update
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