LF: Welfare nation: America relying on federal aid more than at any time in history... and New York gets the most

Title: Welfare nation: America relying on federal aid more than at any time in history... and New York gets the most
Source: Daily Mail Online
URL Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art ... -federal-aid-time-history.html
Published: Apr 26, 2011
Author: Daniel Bates
Post Date: 2011-04-26 18:57:36 by Sebastian
Keywords: None
Views: 11456
Comments: 25

Americans are relying on federal government spending more than at any time in the nation57;s history, new figures have revealed.

A staggering 18.3 per cent of personal income is now made up of food stamps, social security payments and benefits - and New York has more aid programmes than anywhere else in the U.S.

Actual wages accounted for the lowest slice of income since records began at just 50.5 per cent.

Every adult now receives an average of $7,427 in benefits - a 55 per cent rise from 10 years ago.

The figures show the extent to which the U.S. government is now propping up the fragile economy as it recovers from the recession.

They also underline how tough it will be to decide which areas of government spending have to be cut in order to get the $14 trillion budget deficit under control.

The analysis of government data by USA Today reveals that in 2010 the typical benefit payment of $7,427 had gone up from $4,763 in 2000 and $3,686 in 1990.

This helped push government aid up from 12.5 per cent in 2000 to 18.3 per cent of personal income on the back of expanding health care programmes, an ageing population and the recession.

In February wages hit just 50.5 per cent of personal income, the lowest since the government started keeping records in 1929.

WHICH STATES GET THE MOST CASH HANDOUTS

Payments per resident 2000 2010 Change 2000 and 2010

1. New York 6,542 9,442 2,900

2. West Virginia 6,340 9,138 2,798

3. Rhode Island 5,794 8,955 3,161

4. Maine 5,437 8,864 3,426

5. Pennsylvania 5,823 8,616 2,793

6. Massachusetts 5,424 8,541 3,117

7. Vermont 4,935 8,481 3,546

8. Kentucky 5,160 8,262 3,102

9. Michigan 4,850 8,250 3,400

10. Connecticut 5,412 8,188 2,776

11. Mississippi 4,991 8,176 3,185

12. Arkansas 4,950 8,121 3,171

13 Ohio 5,030 7,996 2,966

14. Alabama 4,919 7,943 3,024

15. Florida 5,244 7,939 2,695

Sources: USA TODAY; Bureau of Economic Analysis; Census Bureau

The total benefits bill for 2010 was $2.3 trillion, roughly the same as the year before.

'What's frightening is the Baby Boomers haven't really started to retire,' said University of Michigan economist Donald Grimes.

USA Today has ranked every state on its benefit consumption and found that New York gets more aid programmes than anywhere else.

The rising cost of the state57;s Medicaid programme helped drive up the average payout of government benefits in New York to $9,442 per person, a rise of 44 per cent over the last 10 years.

New York spends $2,903 on Medicaid alone in 2010, one third more than anywhere else.

West Virginia was also singled out for being the state with the highest amount of personal income from the government on 28 per cent

At the other end of the scale, Colorado gets just 13.2 per cent of its income from federal funding and Utah residents get the least money with $4,731 per person due to its young population.

The figures are likely to mean that the cost of Medicare and Medicaid will be a key battleground in next year's election.

Republicans have proposed turning it into a system of vouchers which will save up to $771 billion over a decade.

But Democrats have resisted such a change and instead proposed taxes on high earners, couple with less stringent cuts to tackle the deficit.

It has to happen at some point. Give them a two year warning and then turn the lights off and all welfare workers go home for good.

Yep. Tough love. It's for their own good. And if not, at least I won't be paying for it.

Well, I am thinking it is humane, and it can help the serious minded ones get their act together. That way they can start getting some training for work- start a little savings- work plans to find housing.

Insofar as the greedy geezers are concerned, immediately means test the benefits. If they have substantial pensions or annuities, toss them off the dole. Let the less prepared stay on.

However, tell the younger folks that they are responsible for saving for their own retirement.

Some of these kids are third and fourth generation welfare bums. If you feel the need, support your local charities but leave my tax dollars alone.

We have farmers that don't want to farm. Teachers who don't want to teach. Cry baby corporations that don't want to compete. Financial service firms that want to profit from their risky behavior but insist on sticking it to the taxpayers when things go wrong. On and on...

Well, that would be my personal feeling about it.. but financially, I think giving them a two year head start would save us huge amount of money.

We can not have people starving in the street. No one really can say they want that. We would have to be humane and realistic about how to handle it.

I agree that it is not a fair way to use tax payers money to have charge them with welfare- but the reality is - that it has happened and now we have a mess.

SO- I had personal reasons for the two year head start- BUT it is also financially wise too, I feel.

Then after two years- NO MORE. No food stamps- nothing. Either work, take aid from church or family, shelter or homeless.

Odd coincidence isn't it, that thousands of people get too lazy to work when the economy goes south and jobs disappear.

The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher

The BRIC countries are pushing hard to replace the dollar as the international reserve currency.

Once that happens, interest rates will increase, interest payments on the government debt will suck up most of our tax revenue, and no one will loan us any more money. At that point, it's bye bye welfare state including Social Security and Medicare.

"I love the 45 caliber M1911, I respect the 9MM M9 Beretta but I only carry a CZ for my own personal protection". Quote courtesy of Lt Col John Dean Cooper, recognized as the Father of Modern Handgunning (_*_)

Obama wants to starve working people. He would take their money they earned and give it to deadbeats.

I'm supposed to be getting $7,996 from the government????? I'd like to know where the hell it is?????? I want to send it back to Obozo in a big envelope filled with ca ca.....

Starve the ones who won't vote for him, now that's a novel idea..... wonder where he learned that from?????? Bet it was Stalin or Hitler, his heros.....

I may be niave- but honestly, I think very few people would be comfortable in our snuggly beds- while homeless Americans slept in the streets by the hundreds.

I saw a guy on the way home. He had a I'm homeless sign. I looked at him in the eye. But I didn't give him any money. I drove off once the light changed.

There is about 10 of them I see all the time downtown..... for being homeless some of then find a way to stay really clean and have new clothes......

I was getting gas on the corner of Keowee and Wayne one day about 3 weeks ago. There was a guy standing at that intersection holding a I'm homeless sign. Well anyway he decided to leave, so I watched where he went. He walked down Adams street and got into a brand new Ford Dually and drove off. Guess he needed gas money.....

I give them food, or take them out to lunch. I hang out with them when I have some time.

The most interesting homeless people I have hung out with were on South Beach Miami. They have an interesting homeless population.

Anyway- I gave a man money once- and he went and bought alcholol with it- and later that day got arrested for causing a fight.

I hung out with this same guy for a number of times- and he was a fascinating person.

He was in chronic pain... terrible chronic pain. He had no health insurance- his life was destroyed by following a woman around the country until he ended up with no resources and homeless.

He was hit bu a car a few months ago- on his medical papers , under family was the name of our church.

After he died- we had a memorial service for him and about 100 people came. We cried and remembered him...lots of people talked about him being an angel- who taught us things.

and then a few weeks later we found out he had a family... he just loved us all so much- he had to stay here in this area.

Life is complex, Stone. We really don't know what is going on in people's lives or why they do what they do.

I will buy lunch for them, hang out and chat when I can- give them bags of food or a ride to church.

I am hesitant to give out money- but if I do- I let God take care of what they do with the money.

I had a friend with a bad crank problem supply me with the info allowing me to retrieve an expensive bicycle three years after someone stole it. He was motivated by the 200 dollar reward, but not so thrilled I gave it to him five dollars at a time ou of consideration to his health. C'est la guerre.

I worked at Food For Lane County doing the hospitality portion of the Family Dining Program, and work as a volunteer front desk person at White Bird Clinic.

I know homeless people really well, and I support programs that are actually cost effective in how they house people first to get them out of that horrible crisis, and then start to effectively work on substance abuse and other problems many have.

Many need that stabilization to have a foundation to work from. Which is important; because many people who have not gotten to know homeless people well don't realize how just being homeless exacerbates and compounds the problems involved in stabilizing people's lives and getting them on the right track.

St. Vincent DePauls locally has an excellent veteran's program that closely monitors the homeless vets they get housing for. They are made to make community with one another, and not allowed to be off the premises from eleven at night to seven in the morning.

The vast majority of people who successfully get off alcohol and drugs through that program go on to normal housing, jobs and healthier relationships with their community and family.

I never look down on someone because they are homeless. And I won't let them manipulate me into being an enabler of the self destructive things present in many of their lives as well. Sometimes if you care, you have to say no.

There isn't much I could disagree with, but to say that my ideas of "enabling" have changed based on my experiences with this homeless man who was just recently killed.

I have had my eyes opened to human suffering that is so complex, Mike. I am glad I have my faith, and so did he, because there is no making sense of what I experienced.