The 2005 Index of Dependency

From The Heritage Foundation:

"Are we more or less dependent on the government's income and social support programs than we were 40 years ago?" asks Center for Data Analysis director William Beach.

To answer that question, Beach and the CDA maintain the Index of the Dependency, a broad measure of government encroachment in areas that have traditionally been the domain of individuals and their communities.

The good news is that Americans' dependence on government increased just 1 percent in 2004.

But the bad news is that, since 2000, the Index of Dependency has gained over 25 percent. Driving this trend is increased federal spending on health care, retirement, and education.

The policy debates of today-such as Social Security reform, federal support of higher education, and health care reform-will determine government dependency for many years into the future, concludes Beach. Lawmakers should not overlook this aspect of their legislation.