Little Gov. Spending Goes to the Important Stuff

Francis Woolley  has a written a paper titled "Why public goods are a pedagogical bad".

The interesting thing to me is how small a part of the budget things most of think as the core function of government are. 

• All of transportation spending (including roads and bridges) 3%.

• Police courts and incarceration 5%. 

• National defense about 6% (the USA is much higher here which BTW is silly. The USA would no less safe spending half that).
• Basic research less than 1% 

What is left are welfare programs but do not get the wrong idea, little of that is welfare for the poor. It is mostly welfare for the rich and middle class including Social Security, Medicare and schooling. Now this would not be a problem except that people usually spend there money much more efficiently than Government spends there money for them.