Americans work almost half of the year just to pay the burden created by government 

(Washington, D.C.) – At a Washington news conference today, Shawn McBurney, Director of Government Relations for the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) joined with other taxpayer watchdogs to commemorate “Cost of Government Day.”  Following are Mr. McBurney’s remarks:

“Over two hundred years ago, George Washington observed that “government, like fire, is a fearful servant and a terrible master.”  Today, Americans are forced to work almost one-half of the year just to pay the burden created by government.  A question is raised of whether our government is a servant or master.

“In 1998, legions of unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats churned out 203,294 pages of rules in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations, dictating how Americans must conduct virtually every aspect of their lives.  If someone wanted to make sure they didn’t run afoul of any of these rules, they would have to have read more than 556 pages per day, every day, in 1998.

“Last January, we were reminded of how capricious and high-handed these dictates can be.  OSHA decided that they would impose their onerous regulations in the homes of anyone who telecommutes.  Only after the public rose up and objected did OSHA back down.  Kind of.  The administration decided that it wouldn’t enforce these regulations just now, but would “open a dialogue about the issue.”  So it turns out they’re not gone, but just hiding under your bed.

“Clearly, the cost of government must be reduced.”

Cost of Government Day is the day when the average American worker has earned enough in gross income to pay off his or her share of federal, state and local spending, plus the cost of government regulation.  This year, Cost of Government Day falls on June 16 – the latest day in history. 

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.