How much is too much government spending?

Protip: Let the market be your guide

Money
(Image credit: (Mark Wilson/Getty Images))

The majority of Americans think the U.S. government is spending too much and needs to curb its allegedly profligate ways. A full 63 percent of respondents surveyed by Pew in January believed that deficit reduction should be a top priority, although that was down from 72 percent in January 2013, which is unsurprising given that the deficit has been cut by half since President Obama took office in 2009.

Obviously, some people believe government should be restrained to very minimal functions, like border control, a court system, and national defense. Other people believe that government should do much more — regulate markets, provide for basic welfare, create jobs, invest in scientific research, land spacecraft on the moon, etc. There are probably as many different opinions on the size of government as there are people.

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John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.