In the USA, 1 private sector employed person takes care of themselves plus 2 others

125,000,000 private sector

  50,000,000 unemployed

  38,000,000 retired

  73,000,000 aged 18 and under

  20,000,000 full time college students

    6,000,000  federal state and local government, education, and armed forces.

 

Totals  312,000,000 people.   (that's pretty close)

 

If I make some general but conservative assumptions that the 125 million private sector employed people are married to 10 million of the unemployed, and have 23 million of the kids under the age of 18 and 5 million of the kids in college that they are providing for from their take home pay, then

 

the 125,000,000 private sector employees  take care of ourselves, maybe our spouse (maybe not if she works too), and 23 million kids and 5 million kids in college.

 

That means then that we have to pay enough in taxes to pay the salaries of the 6 million gov folks,  and we have to pay benefits to take care of the 50 million unemployed, the 38 million retirees, 50 million welfare kids under age 18,

 

So . . . . 125,000,000 private sector employees and if they make enough to pay taxes,  are providing from their net pay for 163,000,000 people, including themselves, and their taxes have to take care of about 150 million other people.

 

Sheesh