[quote=CA renter]
Found this interesting site that charts the growth of various types of state and local spending. Not sure how it copies over, but compare state and local spending on pensions, healthcare, welfare, defense, etc.; you’ll see that the spending in other categories has outstripped, by far, the growth in spending on pensions.
The default chart is misleading because it includes 5 year projection where pensions are supposed to grow less than 10% and education 40%.
If you limit the range to 1990-2013 GDP grew 170%, pensions grew 530%, healthcare (including medicare) 600%, education 200% and welfare 210%.
In 1990 CA spent on welfare as much as it spent on pensions and healthcare combined, and on education twice what was spent on pensions and healthcare (combined). In 2013 pensions and healthcare are 30% more than education.
It looks like the chunk required to cover the cost of services provided 25 years ago (pensions, medicare) is growing much faster than what we spend on services that are being consumed now (education, welfare).
