subsidies drive up prices. while it is important to have a social safety net, going full on nanny state creates poverty traps and hurts the working poor. we've had huge increases in spending. snap, that is food stamps, using constant 2021 dollars to remove growth from inflation, went from 23 billion in 2000 to 58 billion in 2019 and 114 billion in 2021. it has reduced a little in the last couple years, but is still 4-5 times what it was 25 years ago after accounting for inflation. while this is just one federal government program it shows the complete lack of spending restraint that is quickly bankrupting the nation.
United States