ABSTRACT
Residents of several states today have to wait even longer until they start pocketing their earnings. The least taxed citizens of America work three and one-half months for the government. Far more people labor four and one-half months for politicians before earning a penny for themselves. Alas, even these numbers understate the impact of government on taxpayers. The Tax Foundation only looks at tax collections. The federal government, however, relies on deficits to expand its outlays and uses regulation to control even more private activities. In short, the average American spends half of every year working for government. The real Thomas Jefferson helped construct a government of sharply limited power, contending that "The government that governs best governs least". But he knew that faux Jeffersons like Bill Clinton would come along, working overtime to expand state power and circumscribe individual liberty.
