Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, “What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power.” But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector.

—Ronald Reagan. Nationwide televised address for Barry Goldwater presidential campaign, October 27, 1964.

Because government always spends tax money inefficiently, the more money as a percentage of the national wealth being spent by the government, the less efficient the economy as a whole will be. This accounts for the incredible economic growth of the United States in the twentieth century compared to that of the Soviet Union.

This article is an extract from the book ‘Principles of Good Government’ by Matthew Bransgrove