Government dependence hits record

[dogtowner]

not that this is a surprise to anyone paying attention to current events

I know I know, he never dreamed how things were, another reason to question his alleged brilliance or the quality of the people he surrounded himself with.

not a pretty picture, especially the last sentence

Dependence on government is at an all-time high, according to a new study by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

The annual Index of Dependence on Government — which the authors score based on how much money was spent on services that were not always traditionally offered by the federal government — found that government dependency jumped 8.1 percent in 2011. Most of the assistance went toward housing, health and welfare, and retirement, according to the survey.

Since the 2008 index, the American people’s dependence on government has grown a whopping 23 percent.

One in five Americans — or slightly more than 67 million — now relies on federal assistance, at a cost of $2.5 billion annually. That’s the highest in the country’s history, the authors wrote. The index also found that Americans who depend on federal assistance receive an average of $32,748 in benefits, about $300 more than the nation’s average disposable personal income.

Overall, about 70 percent of the federal government’s budget is directed to individual assistance programs. And nearly half of the population, or 49.5 percent, don’t pay any federal income taxes, according to the survey.

 

[Gipper]

not that this is a surprise to anyone paying attention to current events

I know I know, he never dreamed how things were, another reason to question his alleged brilliance or the quality of the people he surrounded himself with.

not a pretty picture, especially the last sentence

Nothing is wrong really... good old fashioned class warfare will fix it. Just tax the rich more and all will be peaches and cream....so thinks the lib.

Socialism is GRAND!!!....and effective too.

CRAZY!!!

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

Yes the banks defrauding the economy of a trillion dollars and then taking the bailout from the poor is a disgrace isn't it?

 

[Gipper]

There it is. Damn near a straight line UP!!! Socialism is GREAT!!!

It makes one wonder how we Americans ever lived without it.

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

You have never had socialism

Helping the needy is a long way from a socialist state

I realise that you are programmed to use the word to cover up the inadequacies of your argument but you need to remember that Muslims are the newly invented bete noir these days, not socialists

I love your Christian approach to helping the poor though

Pure hypocrisy

 

[WolfLarsen]

The problem is the greed of the rich and big corporations who ruined our economy, and that is why there is greater dependency on basic government services.

Let's face it: capitalism just doesn't work. Capitalism is incapable of providing everyone with a job.

I myself am a very strong supporter of the work ethic, and I believe that everyone should have the right to a job. And I strongly believe that the politicians of both political parties and the worthless billionaires who inherited all their money need to go get a job! Let them pick up garbage off the ground for food stamps!

The rich believe in taking ever-increasing amounts of money away from the American worker. The rich people, and the big corporations, and the politicians of both political parties are engaged in a class war against the American people. Many American people have lost their jobs and they lost their homes. The banks, who are stealing American homes, are nothing more than thieves!

When are we going to end this insanity? The rich people in our country keep getting richer and the working people who are actually doing the work are getting poorer. The right-wingers argue that the rich people don't have enough money, the right-wingers want more money for the rich. Personally I feel that the American worker is entitled to good union wages and excellent union benefits like a good pension when he gets older. But the right-wingers disagree.

Instead, the right-wingers want to take away our unions, they want to take away our good wages, they want to take away our pensions, and now they want to take away our Social Security so that they can fund their bailout programs for the rich.

Because let's face it the rich people made out like bandits! They got nearly $1 trillion of the taxpayers money and bailouts. The rich people are eating caviar and champagne on the taxpayers dime. It's the rich people who are dependent on the taxpayers money!

 

[Openmind]

Don't know you yet, Wolf, but I like your way of thinking and I also enjoy the way you express yourself. You are obviously quite intelligent and articulate.
Welcome!

 

[cashmcall]

The problem is the greed of the rich and big corporations who ruined our economy, and that is why there is greater dependency on basic government services.

Let's face it: capitalism just doesn't work. Capitalism is incapable of providing everyone with a job.

I myself am a very strong supporter of the work ethic, and I believe that everyone should have the right to a job. And I strongly believe that the politicians of both political parties and the worthless billionaires who inherited all their money need to go get a job! Let them pick up garbage off the ground for food stamps!

The rich believe in taking ever-increasing amounts of money away from the American worker. The rich people, and the big corporations, and the politicians of both political parties are engaged in a class war against the American people. Many American people have lost their jobs and they lost their homes. The banks, who are stealing American homes, are nothing more than thieves!

When are we going to end this insanity? The rich people in our country keep getting richer and the working people who are actually doing the work are getting poorer. The right-wingers argue that the rich people don't have enough money, the right-wingers want more money for the rich. Personally I feel that the American worker is entitled to good union wages and excellent union benefits like a good pension when he gets older. But the right-wingers disagree.

Instead, the right-wingers want to take away our unions, they want to take away our good wages, they want to take away our pensions, and now they want to take away our Social Security so that they can fund their bailout programs for the rich.

Because let's face it the rich people made out like bandits! They got nearly $1 trillion of the taxpayers money and bailouts. The rich people are eating caviar and champagne on the taxpayers dime. It's the rich people who are dependent on the taxpayers money!

Don't know you yet, Wolf, but I like your way of thinking and I also enjoy the way you express yourself. You are obviously quite intelligent and articulate.
Welcome!

You Guy's May Hate Capitalism, But You Sure Love To Loot It..First let me say i'm not Australian
A lesson in Australian: When an Australian calls someone a "big-noter", he is saying that the person is a chronic and rather pathetic seeker of admiration -- as in someone who often pulls out "big notes" (e.g. $100.00 bills) to pay for things, thus endeavouring to create the impression that he is rich. The term describes the mentality rather than the actual behavior with money and it aptly describes many Leftists. When they purport to show "compassion" by advocating things that cost themselves nothing (e.g. advocating more taxes on "the rich" to help "the poor"), an Australian might say that the Leftist is "big-noting himself". There is an example of the usage here. The term conveys contempt. There is a wise description of Australians generally here

 

[Openmind]

You Guy's May Hate Capitalism, But You Sure Love To Loot It..First let me say i'm not Australian
A lesson in Australian: When an Australian calls someone a "big-noter", he is saying that the person is a chronic and rather pathetic seeker of admiration -- as in someone who often pulls out "big notes" (e.g. $100.00 bills) to pay for things, thus endeavouring to create the impression that he is rich. The term describes the mentality rather than the actual behavior with money and it aptly describes many Leftists. When they purport to show "compassion" by advocating things that cost themselves nothing (e.g. advocating more taxes on "the rich" to help "the poor"), an Australian might say that the Leftist is "big-noting himself". There is an example of the usage here. The term conveys contempt. There is a wise description of Australians generally here

I must have missed something, because I sure never thought you were Australian! Australians are generally more down to earth and more logical than your type.
And, your comment about "looting the Capitalist system" makes no sense.
But. . .go ahead. . .whatever you say is moot anyway.

 

[dogtowner]

I must have missed something, because I sure never thought you were Australian! Australians are generally more down to earth and more logical than your type.
And, your comment about "looting the Capitalist system" makes no sense.
But. . .go ahead. . .whatever you say is moot anyway.

he was making it clear that while he was not aussie he thought their expression both pertinent and fitting.

and to the extent that you both seek things that will make you feel good but that you will not be paying for, it is germane.

and now I've also learned a fun new expression. well played Cash !

 

[Gipper]

The problem is the greed of the rich and big corporations who ruined our economy, and that is why there is greater dependency on basic government services.

Let's face it: capitalism just doesn't work. Capitalism is incapable of providing everyone with a job.

I myself am a very strong supporter of the work ethic, and I believe that everyone should have the right to a job. And I strongly believe that the politicians of both political parties and the worthless billionaires who inherited all their money need to go get a job! Let them pick up garbage off the ground for food stamps!

The rich believe in taking ever-increasing amounts of money away from the American worker. The rich people, and the big corporations, and the politicians of both political parties are engaged in a class war against the American people. Many American people have lost their jobs and they lost their homes. The banks, who are stealing American homes, are nothing more than thieves!

When are we going to end this insanity? The rich people in our country keep getting richer and the working people who are actually doing the work are getting poorer. The right-wingers argue that the rich people don't have enough money, the right-wingers want more money for the rich. Personally I feel that the American worker is entitled to good union wages and excellent union benefits like a good pension when he gets older. But the right-wingers disagree.

Instead, the right-wingers want to take away our unions, they want to take away our good wages, they want to take away our pensions, and now they want to take away our Social Security so that they can fund their bailout programs for the rich.

Because let's face it the rich people made out like bandits! They got nearly $1 trillion of the taxpayers money and bailouts. The rich people are eating caviar and champagne on the taxpayers dime. It's the rich people who are dependent on the taxpayers money!

No. The problem is an omnipresent HUGE tyrannical centralized socialist government.

 

[GenSeneca]

Let's face it: capitalism just doesn't work. Capitalism is incapable of providing everyone with a job.

We weren't using a Capitalist system, that system does not allow such things as subsidies and bailouts. What failed, predictably, was the"mixed" market system of private and public ownership under government control and regulation.

 

[Arbopa]

While the extremist lefty prattles on about the 'rich' and 'corporations', most often on the computer equipment made possible by 'corporations', they continually miss the big picture: eventually their utopian dreams will run out of other peoples money.

 

[dogtowner]

While the extremist lefty prattles on about the 'rich' and 'corporations', most often on the computer equipment made possible by 'corporations', they continually miss the big picture: eventually their utopian dreams will run out of other peoples money.

I too agree with Lady Thatcher's assessment of Socialism.

 

[BigRob]

Yes the banks defrauding the economy of a trillion dollars and then taking the bailout from the poor is a disgrace isn't it?

The disgrace is that the banks were not made to suffer the result of bad lending practices.