Mostly an observation! And someone pointed out that the *federal* ratio isn't the same as total government spending given that state and local governments are putting more into education. But I do think it's helpful to understand how the federal government spends its money.
Agreed. And it's always instructive to view these expenditures alongside others. For instance, the feds expend roughly twice as much on the military as on programs for children and youth.
If the U.S. had single payer healthcare, not only would the spending on all age groups be higher but the U.S. would be spending even more on the elderly.
The question on the elderly should not be focused on government spending but on what is the maximum percentage of GDP can any country spend on retirees.
Is this simply an observation, or is there an implication to be drawn from these data points?
Mostly an observation! And someone pointed out that the *federal* ratio isn't the same as total government spending given that state and local governments are putting more into education. But I do think it's helpful to understand how the federal government spends its money.
Agreed. And it's always instructive to view these expenditures alongside others. For instance, the feds expend roughly twice as much on the military as on programs for children and youth.
If the U.S. had single payer healthcare, not only would the spending on all age groups be higher but the U.S. would be spending even more on the elderly.
The question on the elderly should not be focused on government spending but on what is the maximum percentage of GDP can any country spend on retirees.