Even big-government apologist David Gergen recognizes it.

While Gergen writes in the latest Parade magazine that ?Democrats argue ? with justification ? that in the elections of 2006 and especially 2008, voters sent a clear signal that they wanted more government,? he?s not as clear about the benefits of government growth the Obama administration has pursued:

The Tax Policy Center has found that while everyone is expected to pay payroll taxes, only 47% of American households now pay federal income taxes.

The European Union has agreed that it is dangerous for a country to allow its publicly held debt to exceed 60% of its GDP. The Congressional Budget Office says that the U.S. could hit 60% by the end of this year, and on its current course could hit 100% by 2020.

Meanwhile, The Economist estimates that the federal government now employs a quarter of a million people to write and enforce regulations.

Personally, I find these trends troubling. If they continue, we will diminish both the vitality and prosperity of the nation. Government should be compassionate and yet lean.