July 1, 2011 4:17PM 

# Government Spending Isn’t Working 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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[Over at the *Daily Caller*](http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/01/federal-spending-doesnt-work/), I provide a primer on why government spending doesn’t “stimulate” the economy over the short-run or the long-run.

I look at the huge size of government spending in the United States, and I review the effects of recent stimulus efforts.

Then I describe the government’s “leaky bucket,” which explains why spending harms the economy in the long run, whether or not there are any short-run stimulus effects.

With America heading rapidly toward a spending-fueled debt crisis, these certainly are the times the try men’s souls. Nonetheless, please have a Happy Fourth!

##### Related Tags 

[Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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