In the past 50 years, which administrations have shown the most restraint in federal spending? The answer surprised me. As this Heritage Foundation chart shows, they were all Democrats: Johnson, Carter and Clinton. Who were the big spenders? Bush and Reagan top the charts, besting even Johnson. Despite rhetoric about small government, Republican administrations have shown that they are the party of Big Government.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has culled data from a number of sources and presents them in colorful charts that make the data easier to understand. Here is a summary of various charts on federal spending.

David Walker, the former head of the General Accounting Office (GAO) under the Clinton and Bush Administrations, now heads a nonpartisan group that put together a documentary movie, “I.O.U.S.A”, that was released in 2008. You can view a 30 minute shorter version of the movie at You Tube.