How many Americans are addicted to government?

Government has become far too enmeshed in our society

When many people think about “government addiction” their thoughts go immediately to the poor who rely on the welfare state, subsidized housing, food stamps, subsidized childcare, and just plain old welfare. And though these people are likely addicted to government, in that it would be very difficult for them to live without government assistance, they are only part of the government addiction equation, and not even the most significant draw on the system.

Consider also that much of this immediate welfare state level reliance on the taxpayer, when including Medicare, Social Security (many people try to argue that these aren’t welfare programs, but even though Americans do “pay into” Social Security” most people far outlive what they pay in), and Medicaid exists in areas that in recent elections have tended to vote Republican.

In years past this was not the situation, but as Americans have gotten older and sicker, this is more and more the case.

“Addiction” to the state, addiction to the government and ultimately to the largess of the US taxpayer, is a broad phenomenon however. Plenty of people beyond depressed Appalachia, reservation country, and the inner city “suffer” from government addiction.

You know who else is addicted to government assistance?

Boeing.

The Military Industrial Complex at large.

Much of the banking industry.

Much of Pharma.

Big Agriculture.

The shipping industry.

The auto industry.

Auto unions.

Large swathes of Tech.

The army of government workers that populate the ABC agencies.

The army of public school teachers and their unions.

The retirees of both armies.

Hollywood.

And on and on and on.

Our country which was founded on the principles of limited government and the empowerment of the individual citizen has abandoned these principles to a large degree.