Has Any President Or Governor Ever Reduced The Size Of Government ?

[raystone]

In this case, size is defined by spending and the year over year budget.

At any time in history... If so, who ?

I'l research what message to the people they used to accomplish it.

[coyote_sprit]

Err.... Calvin Coolidge? I'm not 100% sure but maybe.

[RevolutionSD]

In this case, size is defined by spending and the year over year budget.

At any time in history... If so, who ?

I'l research what message to the people they used to accomplish it.

I'm pretty sure no.
Politicians, by nature, increase the size of government.

That is why minarchism or small government is a pipe dream.

[He Who Pawns]

It just goes to show you how bad things are that we are having to struggle to even answer the question.

Maybe Gary Johnson?

[Jeremy]

It just goes to show you how bad things are that we are having to struggle to even answer the question.

Maybe Gary Johnson?

I don't think he decreased the size of the New Mexico government, but he drastically stopped TONS of legislation and prevented government from growing.

[Aratus]

mentioning that the demobilization of the union army at the conclusion
of the civil war from a million plus men to say 20,ooo to 30,ooo mayhap
indicates a reduction in our budget during reconstruction, however most
historians tend to shy away from profusely praising andrew johnson for a
given number of reasons. we also did have similar demobilizations after
both ww1 & ww2. when we go into a peacetime economy from a wartime
economy, there tends to be budget cutting. most wars do saddle us with
a longterm debt that the next string of potuses try to realistically deal with.

[Epic]

1920-1923 spending down 50%

1945-1948 spending down 66%

(federal)

but now most spending is mandatory entitlements, so you just don't have the leeway to shrink it.

[torchbearer]

President Fillmore.

[coyote_sprit]

President Fillmore.

That an ironic name for someone who reduced the size of government.

[Truth Warrior]

"Official" US Federal gov budget history since 1789: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/hist.pdf (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/hist.pdf) for those that just MAY actually give a shit, PDF pages 25-26. ;) :( :mad:

[raystone]

1920-1923 spending down 50%

1945-1948 spending down 66%

(federal)

but now most spending is mandatory entitlements, so you just don't have the leeway to shrink it.


This correlates with the data sheet Truth Warrior linked to. However, we probably need to remove instances of post war spending reductions (after huge war spending increases). For example, the budget increased by 2500% for WWI spending. Note that even after WWI reduction, the post war annual budget still never decreased to less than 400% of prewar annual spending. (as Aratus pointed out)

[raystone]

President Fillmore.


Can't find verification of this ?

[The One]

That an ironic name for someone who reduced the size of government.

Even more ironic was his tendency to grope women.;)

[StudentForPaul08]

President Fillmore.

So that is why I learned about him in Public School. Oh wait, he didn't start a war or create welfare programs..OK I didn't learn about him then. :rolleyes:

[torchbearer]

So that is why I learned about him in Public School. Oh wait, he didn't start a war or create welfare programs..OK I didn't learn about him then. :rolleyes:

He also adamantly opposed Lincoln and reconstruction.

My high school text called him the "do-nothing president" and that was all the info we were given... on to the next president.

[Truth Warrior]

Can't find verification of this ?

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showpost.php?p=2046887&postcount=11 (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showpost.php?p=2046887&postcount=11)

[raystone]

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showpost.php?p=2046887&postcount=11 (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showpost.php?p=2046887&postcount=11)


Fillmore president '1850-1853. The page of data you linked to only shows the aggregate of spending from 1850-1900. Starting with 1901, it shows year to year spending.

[torchbearer]

Fillmore president '1850-1853. The page of data you linked to only shows the aggregate of spending from 1850-1900. Starting with 1901, it shows year to year spending.

I do know his office payroll was less because he didn't have a vice-president to pay.

[Truth Warrior]

Fillmore president '1850-1853. The page of data you linked to only shows the aggregate of spending from 1850-1900. Starting with 1901, it shows year to year spending. That's correct, I remember now, sorry. :o Never mind. :) You may want to save a copy of that PDF for FUTURE reference. ;) Just a thought.

[krazy kaju]

Martin Van Buren.

[GBurr]

Jefferson took the budget from 9 million to 2 million and used the extra revenue to pay down the national debt.

[idiom]

Odd, that thing says the Budget actually went down in 1965.

Lets hear it for Lyndon Johnson?

I do like this quote about New Zealand in 1984 (great year) when our socialism died.


Muldoon’s policies were discredited, and in 1984 the Labour Party came to power. All other economic strategies having failed, Labour [Left Wing] resolved to deregulate and restore the market process. (This seemed very odd at the time.) Within a week of the election, virtually all controls over interest rates had been abolished. Financial markets were deregulated, and, in March 1985, the New Zealand dollar was floated. Other changes followed, including the sale of public sector trading organizations, the reduction of tariffs and the elimination of import licensing. However, reform of the labor market was not completed until the early 1990s, by which time National (this time without Muldoon or his policies) was back in office.