Overview
Why Politicians Don’t Cut Spending is a good video to spark discussion in an economics, government, or critical thinking class. Why do politicians never seem to reduce spending? With federal debt at $20 billion, nearly $62,000 per citizen, why does federal spending continue to increase? Why Politicians Don’t Cut Spending explains the concept of concentrated benefits and dispersed costs, which favors recipients of government payouts at the expense of the average taxpayer.

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Lesson Insights

Grade level and subjects
• Recommended for grades 6-12
• Subjects: Government and Economics
• Works in Classroom, Hybrid, and Homeschool settings

Sample discussion questions
• Can government spend too much money? How much is too much?
• What political problems might arise for elected representatives who try to reduce government spending?
• Benjamin Powell connects voting to government spending and explains this in terms of incentives. Why do people have different incentives to vote or not to vote?
• What can be done to change this? Why happens if we don’t? Post-Viewing Activities:
• Research the federal budget. Where does the money go? To whom does it go? Explain the budget in terms of concentrated benefits and dispersed costs.

What’s in the free teacher’s guide
This printable 1-page Teacher's Guide includes a lesson description and discussion and analysis questions.

Standards alignment
Aligned to state standards — use the SITC Standards Tool to match this video to the standards in your state.