In 1956, the US population was 168,903,031, and the federal government spent about 76 billion dollars (about 556.65B adjusted for inflation to 2006). In 2006, the US population was about 300 million, and the feds spent about 2,285.491 billion. Dividing the spending by the population numbers gives us a per person adjusted for inflation 1956 spending of $3,295 in 1956 and a whopping $7,618 per person in 2006. The feds are spending almost two and a half times as much per person, adjusted for inflation. And that number is only going to grow faster over the next few years.
this was 3 years ago imagine what it is now with all the war borrowing: Bush Borrowed More Than All Previous Presidents Combined, Group Says By Melanie Hunter CNSNews.com Senior Editor November 04, 2005 (CNSNews.com) - President Bush and the current administration have borrowed more money from foreign governments and banks than the previous 42 presidents combined, a group of conservative to moderate Democrats said Friday. Blue Dog Coalition, which describes itself as a group "focused on fiscal responsibility," called the administration's borrowing practices "astounding." According to the Treasury Department, from 1776-2000, the first 224 years of U.S. history, 42 U.S. presidents borrowed a combined $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions, but in the past four years alone, the Bush administration borrowed $1.05 trillion.