One Thing Every Modern President Has in Common: They All Spent More Than the Last Guy

The article frames government spending growth as a universal presidential failure through a provocative headline and opening thesis, centring libertarian anti-government spending ideology. The framing uses evaluative language ('America is worse off') and appeals to a 'vibe shift' reduction rather than neutral policy analysis. Reason magazine's libertarian editorial perspective shapes the premise that spending reduction is inherently desirable, rather than presenting multiple normative frameworks for evaluating fiscal policy.

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• This article does not address counterarguments that government spending increases may have delivered measurable public benefits (infrastructure, healthcare, pandemic response, etc.)
• This article does not contextualize spending increases relative to GDP, inflation, or specific policy drivers versus ideological drift
• This article does not present perspectives from economists or policymakers who view certain spending categories as justified or necessary