Public spending doesnt make countries or people rich. Its funded from taxes, which rely on economic growth, which we've had very little of since the 2008 reccession and banking meltdown.
The government spends money and then taxes it back, not the other way around.
The point here is tax revenue isn’t a blocker to smart investments in public services… Or at least it shouldn’t be.
Watch this short video about the subject by the late David Graeber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxJW7hl8oqM