CITIES: Spend at Home

State legislatures and city council chambers across the U.S. regularly ring with politicians' warnings against "increasing concentration of power in Washington." The truth is that the main power of government—to spend money—is being claimed by legislatures and city councils at breakdown rate. Since World War II the states have increased their spending 15 times faster than the Federal Government; .city governments have increased a hefty 18 times faster. In fiscal 1957 alone, reports U.S. Census Bureau after a year of figure collecting, cities upped total expenditures 13% to an awesome $12.8 billion. .By comparison, federal spending for 1957...