Big Government: Type 1

I often use the term "Big Government" when complaining of the problems facing the nation.  In talking to FastKitty, I realised that more specific descriptions are needed, since the term can be intrepreted several ways.  So here-in my thoughts on Type 1 Big Government:

Type 1 Big Government is the way most people think about the word "Big."  It means big in size and scope.  Some examples:

Departments:  The Federal government has 16 Departments, up one this year with creation of the pretty much autonomous Consumer Protection Agency developed by Elizabeth Warren.
2010 Federal Employees:  2.78 million Civilians, 1.6 million Military, 64 thousand Legislative
New Employees since 2008:  250,000 or 10%
Code of Federal Regulations:  135,000 pages in 1998, 165,000 pages in 2011
Federal Felony Crimes:  4,500
2010 US Tax Code:  75,000 pages

Cost of Regulations to Public:  $1.75 Trillion per year
Scope:  Almost everyone and everything, thanks to overly-broad interpretations of the Commerce Clause starting in 1913.
2011 Budget:  $3.7 Trillion, with $1.6 Trillion deficit

See:  Regulation - The Hidden Tax