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need is opportunity, and opportunity is created by a growing economy.

From 1950 to 1999, the U.S. economy grew 3.6% per year. From 2000 to 2024, the U.S. economy grew 2.2% per year.

With the U.S. economy growing less than 3% per year, Medicaid spending has been growing 4.5% per year.

One Big Beautiful Bill trims back some trillion dollars in spending in Medicaid over the next decade, slowing growth in Medicaid spending to 3% per year. This still outstrips recent economic growth.

The bill inserts efficiencies requiring work for the able-bodied to qualify for Medicaid enrollment, and addresses other major inefficiencies in the program.

But let’s keep perspective. It’s not cold-hearted to make an inefficient welfare program more efficient.

It is cold-hearted to build a culture in which individuals are deprived from realizing their human potential.

A slowly growing economy may mean the well-off may increase their wealth a little more slowly.

But it means shrinking opportunity for those who are starting off with little.

As America approaches its 250th birthday, it’s time to focus on what our country is about.

When Medicaid became law 50 years ago, federal spending as percent of our GDP was 15.9%. By end of 2024 it was 23.1%.

Federal debt as percent of GDP in 1965 was 35.1%. By end of 2024, it was 97%.

We’ve become a different country over the last 50 years. The anemic growth resulting from a burgeoning welfare state, and the massive growth in government spending and debt, do not bode well for those starting out with little and want to get ahead.

The Democrats’ answer is to push further

left. The choice before our citizens and voters is increasingly stark: burying ourselves deeper in debt and dependence or recapturing freedom and personal responsibility.

Let’s thank these Freedom Caucus Republicans for refusing to sink in the Washington swamp and staying relentlessly focused on the principles that make America a great land of opportunity.

Star Parker is the founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. She is also the author of “Necessary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why This Is Good News for America.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www. creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS. COM