I realize it’s presumptuous, but I periodically make grandiose claims that a single column will tell readers “everything” they need to know about a topic. I’ve used that tactic when writing about tax loopholes, entitlements, fiscal policy, bureaucracy (twice), tax evasion, France, Greece, corporate inversions, and economic policy.
Sometimes I even claim a single image, chart, or cartoon provides a reader with “everything” needed to understand an issue. Examples include the minimum wage, economic policy, the welfare state, supply-side economics, the tax code, Europe’s fiscal crisis, Social Security reform, demographics, overpaid bureaucrats, healthcare economics, inequality, fiscal policy, and the Ryan budget (twice).
Needless to say, I don’t actually think these columns give readers “everything” on a topic. But I do hope the information makes a compelling and informative point about an issue.
So it’s time to expand this tactic and present one sentence that tells readers “everything” they need to know about the failure of big government. And it’s not even the full sentence, just the bolded portion in this excerpt from a BuzzFeed story about how Belgium is trying to deal with terrorism.
One Belgian counterterrorism official told BuzzFeed News last week that due to the small size of the Belgian government and the huge numbers of open investigations…virtually every police detective and military intelligence officer in the country was focused on international jihadi investigations. …the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said. “It’s literally an impossible situation.”
When I read that sentence, my jaw dropped to the floor. Belgium has one of the biggest and most bloated governments in the world.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Go to the OECD’s collection of data and click on Table 25 and you’ll see that the public sector in Belgium consumes almost 54 percent of the nation’s economy. That’s bigger even than the size of government in Sweden and Italy.
So the notion that fighting terrorism is hampered by the “small size of the Belgian government” is utterly absurd.
The real problem is that politicians and bureaucrats have become so focused on redistributing money to various interest groups that there’s not enough attention given to fulfilling the few legitimate functions of government. Not just in Belgium, but all over the world. Here’s what I wrote on this issue back in 2012.
…today’s bloated welfare state interferes with and undermines the government’s ability to competently fulfill its legitimate responsibilities. Imagine, for instance, if we had the kind of limited federal government envisioned by the Founding Fathers and the “best and brightest” people in government – instead of being dispersed across a vast bureaucracy – were concentrated on protecting the national security of the American people. In that hypothetical world, I’m guessing something like the 9-11 attacks would be far less likely.
What I said about America back then is even more true about Belgium today. Big governments are clumsy and ineffective, and bigger governments are even more incompetent. There’s even scholarly research confirming that larger public sectors are associated with higher levels of inefficiency.
And the same point has been made by folks such as Mark Steyn and Robert Samuelson (though David Brooks inexplicably reaches the opposite conclusion).
The good news is that the American people have an instinctive understanding of the problem. When asked to describe the federal government, you’ll notice that “effective” and “efficient” are not the words people choose.
P.S. On a related note, I argued in a column from 2014 that the federal government should be much smaller so it could more effectively focus on genuine threats such as the Ebola virus.
P.S. It’s worth pointing out that Israel, which faces far greater security challenges than Belgium, manages to do a better job with a government that is not nearly as large.
[…] Wow. I’m reminded of the official from Belgium (3rd-biggest fiscal burden in the above chart) who complained a few years ago about “the small size of the Belgian government.” […]
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[…] is the same nation where an official claimed that it was difficult to fight terrorism because of “the small size of the Belgian government” even though the public sector in that country consumes a greater share of economic output than […]
[…] is the same nation where an official claimed that it was difficult to fight terrorism because of “the small size of the Belgian government” even though the public sector in that country consumes a greater share of economic output than […]
[…] is the same nation where an official claimed that it was difficult to fight terrorism because of “the small size of the Belgian government” even though the public sector in that country consumes a greater share of economic output than […]
[…] same nation where an official claimed that it was difficult to fight terrorism because of “the small size of the Belgian government” even though the public sector in that country consumes a greater share of economic output […]
[…] same nation where an official claimed that it was difficult to fight terrorism because of “the small size of the Belgian government” even though the public sector in that country consumes a greater share of economic output […]
irregular warfare is upon us… according to the associated press… isis has deployed over 400 jihadi fighters throughout Europe… that’s 40-10 man combat teams… targeting innocent civilians… perhaps it would be better if governments spent less on vote buying… more on national security…. and rejected the principles of social Marxism…
just a thought…
Hello.
The problem over here is more that of governement not wantingt to, nor being competent enough to acknowledge the problem:
Mass-migration of sunni moslems over the past decade. Sunni moslems do not play well with others, they are used to being the dominant culture and see no reason nor have any incentive to change and be assimilated. Rather the reverse, in fact.
To get the situation of the emerging conflict between moslems and european cultures under control, militarisation and enfoced mass deportation is necessary. It may sound ludicrous to americans, but in Sweden alone there are now over fifty-five suburbs, ghettoes and other local municipalities which the ‘Security Police’ (think a mix between FBI and CIA; SÄPO in Swedish) deeme the situation so severe that they call the areas ‘No Go’-zones. Normal civil service has been driven out, and in several suburbs in Stockholm local sharia-enforcers handles matters.
We opened our borders to trade and to cultural exchange. Those of us who claimed this was done in a foolish and naïve way were shouted down as racists and statists. Be wary of letting sunni moslems gain any more leverage over the US, whether domestically or abroad: they practice dhawa – mission, or invitation literally- in all matters, because all matters ultimately should be done to benefit their faith.
Once, Europe needed de-nazification. Now we need the US to stand strong and tell our leaders to man up and soldier their burden one way or the other. Our leaders have cut down our armed forces to something the US National Guard alone could handle – the best would be for the US to openly withdraw troops and tell our leaders that, yes the alliance of old still stands, but we must carry our own weight. Otherwise they will keep counting on US lives to save their skins.
Comradely greetings from Sweden,
Rikard, teacher
Let’s have some sympathy (sarc). Every dollar collected by governments last year (and 40% more) has been allocated to the fine people working in government.
We need more anti-terror this year. Rearranging the cash flow would require repurposing or, gasp, firing some of the fine people already at work. This would be heartless, mean, cruel, and impolite. One would have to talk to someone, look them in the eye, and tell them that their job, their life is over. We can’t throw them out into the cruel, capitalist world. We know them, and we like them. Whatever they are doing, they are doing it as well as they can do it. Trying counts for a lot in government life.
So, let’s have more money to do more this year, and let’s not be cruel to our friends. They are good people with families and birthdays. A government resume doesn’t get much outside.
Molenbeek is no longer a part of Belgium… it has become an isis outpost in Europe… it’s part of the caliphate… subject to sharia law… and governed by sharia compliant forces… the same is true of any number of Muslim communities throughout Europe… collectively… they will never integrate into European or western society… just as the American constitution is the basis for governance in the united states… the Holy Texts of Islam are the basis for governance in Islamic societies… there are no borders… or documents tying these communities to the caliphate… they are not necessary as generation after generation of believers will answer the call to prayer and uphold sharia law… the government of Belgium temporarily occupies this small part of the caliphate… but time… and the reality of changing demographics will ultimately liberate Molenbeek from Belgium… and allow the community the freedom to practice the Islamic faith unencumbered by the edicts of infidels…
welcome to the darker side of multiculturism…
[…] By Dan Mitchell […]