The Heritage Foundation’s 2012 Index of Dependence on Government certainly suggests so. The index, now in its 10th year, “is designed to measure the pace at which federal government services and programs have grown in areas once considered to be the responsibility of individuals, families, communities, neighborhood groups, churches, and other civil society institutions.” Much like the Consumer Price Index, the Dependence Index begins at a baseline value of 100 in 1980 and then rises and falls yearly from that mark.
This year’s edition found dependence growing by 8.1 percent, with the biggest gain coming from dependence on government for housing (13 percent), health care and welfare (13.1 percent), and retirement (3.1 percent). Dependence levels fell in education and rural and agricultural services.
The major factors driving the growth in dependence are the surge in entitlement spending, both for retirement and health care, and an expansion in the percentage of the population paying no federal income taxes. As the baby boomers leave the work force, fewer workers will support more retirees, making it more difficult to fund entitlements fully, repay government debt, and provide essential public services.
Learn more about the sobering conclusions here.
