Ron Paul vs. Paul Krugman on Bloomberg TV

[Jargon]

http://www.europac.net/commentaries/don’t_be_fooled_political_posturing

1950s tax rates

So the tax rates in the 1950s were very high, especially for the richest folks. Were there more deductions back then? If not, how come in 1955 federal spending was 14% of GDP whereas today it’s over 25%? Even including all government in 1955 spending was only about 25% compared to today’s rate of 44%. If tax rates were so high, how come spending as a percent of GFP was almost half?