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As more and more people go to work directly for the government, the rest of us are required to work more and more to pay the expanding costs of government.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that "total compensation for state and local workers was $39.25 an hour -- $11.90 more than in private business". That gap has not only been growing -- due to increasing base salaries; the gap is accelerating annually because "last year, government benefits rose three times more than those in the private sector".

Last week I wrote about Tax Freedom Day, suggesting readers ask themselves the question: How long, in any year, am I willing to work for government?

But, government growth and spending, confirmed yet again in this latest BLS report demands each citizen ask themselves another question:

Can I afford more taxes?

For too long a growing number of Americans have given a passive answer, "No."

Unfortunately for them, the answer from an even faster growing number of others seems to be a resounding, "Yes." Because, after all, the aggregate demand for taxes by all levels of government, is effectively enslaving productive citizens in order to subsidize too many others.

The economic calamity now unfolding is already being used as yet another excuse to place a greater burden on the backs of productive members of current and future generations.

The die was cast long ago.

Given the special-interest group politics that has permeated our society and government decisions for years, it is not surprising that many citizens have come to believe it impossible to stop the overarching growth of government outlays at all levels. Thus, rather than fight it many have sought to participate in it.

Yet, we must never succumb to that way of thinking.

If we accept the viewpoint that we cannot create responsible change, we limit our thinking and public debate to a framework preferred by those same special interest groups and decision-makers, who, as the old saying goes, continue to, "Rob Peter, to pay -- or is it pay off -- Paul."

We can do something about the virulent growth of government. We can cut through all the rhetoric and manipulative appeals with a simple question:

"Can I afford more taxes"?

That is the first question that every taxpaying American citizen should ask of themselves -- and answer only for themselves.

Whenever an individual answers that question with disregard for another individual, then that is the instance when that first individual wants 'something' from government. As a result, that second individual must, along with his fellow citizens, allow the fruits of his labor to be confiscated by government to fund the desires of the original individual.

The increase in costs of all federal, state and local government programs - instituted and expanded over the past decades - is staggering. The money government uses to fund these programs is collected in the form of taxes and fees from productive individuals and business entities. And, each year, more and more money is confiscated in the aggregate from citizen taxpayers in order to fund new programs and the increased cost of existing programs.

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