Increasing Dependence on Government

In a new report, the 2006 Index of Dependency, the Heritage Foundation concludes that Americans are growing increasingly dependent on government in the areas of housing, health care, education, retirement, and rural and agricultural services:

"A citizenry that reaches a certain tip­ping point in its dependence on government runs the risk of evolving into a society that demands an ever-expanding government that caters to group self-interests rather than pursuing the public good. ...

The Index of Dependency is an attempt to mea­sure these patterns and provide data to help us ponder the implications of these trends. ...

Based on the Index, Heritage Foundation analysts have found that dependence on government has grown steadily and at an alarm­ing rate in recent years.