The factors as to why it shrank are more important. The main reasons that it shrank are that the stimulus spending is expiring, and the sequester prevented a lot of spending. Additionally, the economy is improving, and taxes have been raised on the rich.

Here is the good part: "Overall, spending in 2013 totaled 20.8% of GDP, down from 22% the year before, thanks in part to declines in defense spending and unemployment benefits, as well as the sequester. Among the areas where annual spending rose were Social Security and Medicare."

Basically, Obama and Congress lowered our spending a little over 1% of GDP. That is a step in the right direction, and that is something positive from the government.

The downside: "Independent budget experts' concern, however, is not about the country's deficits over the next 10 years. Their concern is about the subsequent decades when spending on major entitlement programs, as well as interest on the debt, will consume much larger portions of the budget while revenue is not expected to increase enough to keep pace."