The new $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was passed by both the Senate and the House this week and signed into law by President Joe Biden yesterday. The legislation marks a total of roughly $5 trillion in government stimulus spending passed since the pandemic began a year ago. …
Some observers certainly think that we have entered a new era of government control and influence. In recent weeks, we’ve seen opinion writers and journalists arguing that “the era of small government is over” and “the Reagan era is over” and opining on the “return of big government” and a “seismic shift in U.S. politics.”
Of course, government has been a huge part of our American lives for many, many years. The issue is one of incremental change. Is government now going to settle into an even more expanded role than it has in the past? And, importantly, is the American public now going to be even more welcoming of a major government presence in their daily lives, and to increasingly turn to the government as the solution to their financial problems? CONTINUED
Frank Newport, Gallup