Americans depend more on federal aid than ever

[red states rule]

USA Today provides another Hope and Change update

The Obama administration is well on its way to creating an undeclass dependent on government and the transfer of wealth

and this is what the liberal media and the administration calls an economic recovery?




Americans depended more on government assistance in 2010 than at any other time in the nation's history, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data finds. The trend shows few signs of easing, even though the economic recovery is nearly 2 years old.

A record 18.3% of the nation's total personal income was a payment from the government for Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, unemployment benefits and other programs in 2010. Wages accounted for the lowest share of income — 51.0% — since the government began keeping track in 1929.

The income data show how fragile and government-dependent the recovery is after a recession that officially ended in June 2009.

The wage decline has continued this year. Wages slipped to another historic low of 50.5% of personal income in February. Another government effort — the Social Security payroll tax cut — has lifted income in 2011. The temporary tax cut puts more money in workers' pockets and counts as an income boost, even when wages stay the same.

From 1980 to 2000, government aid was roughly constant at 12.5%. The sharp increase since then — especially since the start of 2008 — reflects several changes: the expansion of health care and federal programs generally, the aging population and lingering economic problems.

Total benefit payments are holding steady so far this year at a $2.3 trillion annual rate. A drop in unemployment benefits has been offset by rises in retirement and health care programs.

Americans got an average of $7,427 in benefits each in 2010, up from an inflation-adjusted $4,763 in 2000 and $3,686 in 1990. The federal government pays about 90% of the benefits.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-26-government-payments-economy-medicare.htm

[gabosaurus]

Go to Alabama or northern Georgia today and talk to people about eliminating Federal aid. Or talk to people who are marginalized out of good job. If you ever took yourself out of the American economic "green zone," you would realize what is happening to those those don't live in the GOP "feel good" bubble.
Come on RSR, I know you are smarter than this. Leave the clueless dumbass remarks to Jim and KarlMarx.

[red states rule]

Go to Alabama or northern Georgia today and talk to people about eliminating Federal aid. Or talk to people who are marginalized out of good job. If you ever took yourself out of the American economic "green zone," you would realize what is happening to those those don't live in the GOP "feel good" bubble.
Come on RSR, I know you are smarter than this. Leave the clueless dumbass remarks to Jim and KarlMarx.

Gabby, we have been told that last summer would be the "summer of Recovery".

Obama and his supporters in the liberal media are telling us things are getting better

Where are things getting better?

I know libs like you want as many people as possible on some sort of government assistance. The more the better. that is how you rate the success of any government program

I rate success by how many people no longer NEED government assistance

We are broke Gabby. The taxpayers had been bled dry by the near TEN TRILLION DOLLARS in wealth transfers since LBJ's "Great Society"

[gabosaurus]

So it is OK to give aid to the wealthy (like tax breaks to Big Oil and defense related businesses) and not to individuals who need it?
Step out of the party bubble and embrace reality.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2l9o9dt.jpg

[red states rule]

So it is OK to give aid to the wealthy (like tax breaks to Big Oil and defense related businesses) and not to individuals who need it?
Step out of the party bubble and embrace reality.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2l9o9dt.jpg

Your assumption is based on the money of private corporations and individuals belongs to the government Gabby

How does a liberal decide who "nneds" other peoples money Gabby?

[Trigg]

Go to Alabama or northern Georgia today and talk to people about eliminating Federal aid. Or talk to people who are marginalized out of good job. If you ever took yourself out of the American economic "green zone," you would realize what is happening to those those don't live in the GOP "feel good" bubble.
Come on RSR, I know you are smarter than this. Leave the clueless dumbass remarks to Jim and KarlMarx.

you have no idea what you're talking about. You brag about how wealthy you are and the places you visit, yet you're on here telling others to join the "real world"???????

I work in the health field and am completely middle class. I will tell you that the VAST majority of the people receiving federal aid need to GET A FUCKING JOB. They come in on Medicaid with tattoos (which aren't cheap) reeking of smoke ( case of smokes minimum $60) and on federal aid for the health care. Which of course means they are also probably receiving free lunches for the kids and reduced book fees.

So, IMHO are people using the system??? HELL YES.

[red states rule]

you have no idea what you're talking about. You brag about how wealthy you are and the places you visit, yet you're on here telling others to join the "real world"???????

I work in the health field and am completely middle class. I will tell you that the VAST majority of the people receiving federal aid need to GET A FUCKING JOB. They come in on Medicaid with tattoos (which aren't cheap) reeking of smoke ( case of smokes minimum $60) and on federal aid for the health care. Which of course means they are also probably receiving free lunches for the kids and reduced book fees.

So, IMHO are people using the system??? HELL YES.

Trigg this is how I see the liberal mindset

If I am walking down the street and I see a homeless person sitting out in the rain or snow, and is obviously in need of food; I can take a $100 and buy that person some warm clothes, a meal, and get them some shelter

Now if I take a gun, hold you up, take the $100 from you and use the money for the same items to help the homeless person I would be arrested for theft

What is the difference between that and how liberals use the tax code and the power of the government to take money from people for their pet social programs?

[Nukeman]

So it is OK to give aid to the wealthy (like tax breaks to Big Oil and defense related businesses) and not to individuals who need it?
Step out of the party bubble and embrace reality.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2l9o9dt.jpg

Guess what genius!! 45% of Americans DO NOT PAY TAXES!!!!!!!!!!!!

You dont get much better "tax break" than that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[red states rule]

Guess what genius!! 45% of Americans DO NOT PAY TAXES!!!!!!!!!!!!

You dont get much better "tax break" than that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and the top 50% pay 97% of all federal income taxes

[Trigg]

and the top 50% pay 97% of all federal income taxes

Actually I think it's the top 5%

[red states rule]

Actually I think it's the top 5%

No, the top 50% pay 97% of all federal income taxes, while the bottom 50% pay the remaining 3%




The U.S. income tax system is highly progressive. The top 1% of income earners, by household, paid more than 39% of all federal income taxes in 2005, the top 10% paid more than 70%, and the top 50% paid almost 97%, whereas the bottom 50% paid a little over 3%. Further, 32% of all tax returns filed in 2005 were from people who paid no federal income tax at all.

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2008/07/chart-of-day.html

[fj1200]

Go to Alabama or northern Georgia today and talk to people about eliminating Federal aid.

Did someone talk about eliminating this type of aid? It's better handled at the state level regardless.

[red states rule]

How poor are the "poor"? This article was published in 2007 and it takes a close look at people at the poverty level in America




The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various government reports:

Forty-three percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.

Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)

Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 31 percent own two or more cars.

Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.

Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.

Eighty-nine percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher.

As a group, America's poor are far from being chronically undernourished. The average consumption of protein, vitamins, and minerals is virtually the same for poor and middle-class children and, in most cases, is well above recommended norms. Poor children actually consume more meat than do higher-income children and have average protein intakes 100 percent above recommended levels. Most poor children today are, in fact, supernourished and grow up to be, on average, one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than the GIs who stormed the beaches of Normandy in World War II.

While the poor are generally well nourished, some poor families do experience temporary food shortages. But even this condition is relatively rare; 89 percent of the poor report their families have "enough" food to eat, while only 2 percent say they "often" do not have enough to eat.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2007/08/How-Poor-Are-Americas-Poor-Examining-the-Plague-of-Poverty-in-America