In Les's example, how much did the government spend for every dollar of tax increase?
In the example, for every dollar of tax increase intended to balance the budget, the government spent a dollar and 83 cents. This shows that a tax increase did not result in a balanced budget but rather in greater spending.
Les explains that even a few years ago, when there was a tax increase that was supposed to balance the budget, for every dollar that taxes were raised, the government spent a dollar and 83 cents. He connects this to the biblical account of Rehoboam, where the elders told him that Solomon built a great and glorious kingdom but at the expense of the ordinary taxpayer. Les then applies the same pattern to today, saying, "aren't we up against it the same way today?" and "that's exactly what's happening to us." He uses this example to show that tax increases supposedly meant to balance the budget instead led to greater government spending.