I find it amazing and disconcerting that the neighbor has 4 kids a wife and a mother in law all living in a house provided for him free of charge - free electric and propane - (by the rich dude that owns the property in exchange for watching the property - read paid under the table) He draws welfare because he and his wife show no income - his kids get foodstamps - they all get medicare - and they all live really well. They drive to town, eat out, always have at least 5 vehicles full of gas - and no one questions what is wrong with the picture?
The guy that owns the place is a millionaire in Billings, MT that owns a hotel and a couple city blocks - he rants and raves about taxes and Romney/Obama - and yet he facilitates the welfare state of mind?
So, I will climb on down from my soapbox - and shut up - but it seems like it ain't right...
Corn,
I here you loud and clear............
Hopefully I will also not offend anyone by expressing my opinions.
Welfare , a subject we all have nothing good to say about except that there are some real needy out there that truely deserve it and for the most we all want to help the poor!
The system is comprised of 83 overlapping means tested programs totaling for the first time in 2011 $1.028 Trillion Dollars
(excluding Social Security & Medicare or Vet programs)........for the most part the Gov. & the media invariably discuss welfare
one program at a time and by doing so conceal the overall size of the welfare state. Welfare exceeds Defense spending by almost a 2 to 1 ratio and has done so for nearly two decades.
The cost of welfare has risen expeditiously over the past two decades , with the largest rise being in the last 4 years by more than a third....but lets not lose sight of the real problem and it is
not 100% the recipients fault. The real problem lies in
the enabling party IE; the Federal Government. It has been well stated by several leading private economist that the levy or as they call it "Administrative Costs" the Government charges to Administrate these programs is way to expensive. The numbers that float around are upwards of .50 cents on the dollar with some convinced that it's really much higher. So in essence 50% of the money gets to someone who deserves it.
Lets put that into perspective........you manage someone else's money , you provide the labor to do so and will call it a real for profit business and your rate of return starts at 50% less your overhead...........how would you like to get into that venture? That's a hell of a profit center!
Lets also not forget that the Government is the largest Union employer in the country and has lead hiring for the past decade with a 15% increase in employee's while the private sector has been stuck in the low single digits.
The Senate Budget Committee is out with a new report last month, and it states "Food stamps has quarupled in the last decade. But rather than trying to curb spending here the government advertises to get more people on the books" it goes on to state "Existing federal policy has explicitly encouraged growth in welfare enrollment while combined with a weakening of welfare standards and rules"
Want to fix Welfare? Look to Washington.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!