Report: U.S. Spent $3.7 Trillion on Welfare Over Last 5 Years

New research from the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee shows that over the last 5 years, the U.S. has spent about $3.7 trillion on welfare. Here's a chart, showing that spending versus transportation, education, and NASA spending:

www.weeklystandard.com...




Maybe, we need to re-evaluate? Maybe, we need to look at putting some of our welfare recipients into some sort of work situation for welfare. Perhaps a minimum of part time? That way they could repay society, AND look for gainful employment?

Think of it...caregivers...laborers...cooks....guards....just about *anything* society needs. Why should you just be PAID to not work ?

I certainly don't get paid to NOT work....

The system is indeed broke. A buddy of mine lost his job last year so filed for unemployment assistance. He was approved and was receiving $275 a week. He got a job within 3 weeks but continued to collect unemployment for almost a year!!! I asked him if they ever checked to see if he was working. He said "no". Unreal. Imagine how often people try to screw the government over. I thinks its a shame for the people who are truly honest and need these programs.

reply to post by SadistNocturne


They want to buy them out of the system..

"In the UK, six of the nation’s welfare programs have been consolidated into a single credit and total benefits have been capped at £26,000 (about $42,100 per family) in an effort to both improve standards and decrease net expenditures. A similar reform concept in the United States—combining welfare spending into a single credit—would still result in a surprisingly large welfare benefit while reducing expenditures and allowing for reforms that encourage self-sufficiency. For instance, a CATO study found that an average household in the District of Columbia currently receiving the six largest federal welfare benefits (Medicaid, TANF, SNAP, etc.) receives assistance with a converted cash value of $43,000. In Hawaii, it’s $49,000. Hypothetically, if net benefits from these myriad programs were combined into a single credit and capped at even 95 percent of that very large amount, it would save taxpayers billions while enabling reforms to promote self-sufficiency, reduce the penalty for working, and make the system fairer for taxpayers."

The graph is worthless without the information used to create the graph. I could simply say that my independent research concludes that the US only spent about $3.50 on Welfare in the last 5 years.

Doesn't make it true, and I'm not saying that this isn't true, but where can I read the report and decide for myself whether the merit of this graph is worth bothering to talk about?

catfishjoe
The system is indeed broke. A buddy of mine lost his job last year so filed for unemployment assistance. He was approved and was receiving $275 a week. He got a job within 3 weeks but continued to collect unemployment for almost a year!!! I asked him if they ever checked to see if he was working. He said "no". Unreal. Imagine how often people try to screw the government over. I thinks its a shame for the people who are truly honest and need these programs.

So.. you let your buddy steal my tax money?

Thanks.

How much was spent abroad in a failed war?

Abuse of the system should he addressed but forcing those who do indeed need it to jump through more hoops is cruel. Desperate people do desperate things.

reply to post by SadistNocturne


a society dependent on government to exist..

what did you expect to see happen when NAFTA GAT & all the other trade agreements took

away manufacturing jobs from US shores...

Detroit used to be the Motor Capital of the world..

now look at it..

What chance does America have when big business is in bed with big government squashing the average Americans ability to create & innovate?

Americans have been shifted from producers to service class debt based money slaves..

MichaelPMaccabee
The graph is worthless without the information used to create the graph. I could simply say that my independent research concludes that the US only spent about $3.50 on Welfare in the last 5 years.

Doesn't make it true, and I'm not saying that this isn't true, but where can I read the report and decide for myself whether the merit of this graph is worth bothering to talk about?

You can look up recent government total expenditures on their official site. I've seen it a couple of times and basically entitlement programs, also including medicare and social security, account for about 60 some percent of total expenditures.

In comparison, defense is sitting around 14 %.

As the population increases so will this part of government spending so by 2050 expect entitlement spending to be in the high 70% range.

But go look up the information if you like, its all there as part of official government reports.

reply to post by Spookybelle


I'm aware of where the information is, that's not what I am talking about.

This is a calculation done on a partisan report based on the Office of Management and Budget data. They made the calculations, they need to provide how THEY came up with THEIR numbers, not merely give us a graph telling us the numbers that they came up with.

Anyone have a link to their calculations?

reply to post by MichaelPMaccabee


As i stated.....the system is fudged up. Is it my job to report every Tom, Dick and Harry who abuses the system? Or should these government employees try checking up on these lowlifes? That is their job right? Maybe I should have called and said something. Would it have mattered? I doubt it.

reply to post by MichaelPMaccabee


So it seems you don't really care what the truth is, you just want to prove this report wrong.

As you just stated in your earlier post, its a partisan report.

Kind of like trying to prove that water is wet...of course any partisan report is going to be biased.

How dare folks want to be paid for not working?! Who do they think they are, congress?

Spookybelle
reply to post by MichaelPMaccabee

 

So it seems you don't really care what the truth is, you just want to prove this report wrong.

As you just stated in your earlier post, its a partisan report.

Kind of like trying to prove that water is wet...of course any partisan report is going to be biased.

There is no 'truth' in this instance, there is only interpretation of data. Is this an accurate interpretation of the OMB, or is this skewed for political gain? The odds are very good that is is merely skewed for political gain, so in a real world sense, does this graph mean anything?

No.

reply to post by catfishjoe


It is your job to report fraud, if you care about your tax money. You still can report the fraud, though I doubt you will. Here is the information to get you started.

www.dol.gov...

Why don't they put black budget spending on there and tell the whole story ?

reply to post by gortex



Because we would see how much is gained by drug sales and spent on war tech. Spend that on the kids and see right decisions made. I weep for todays education

MichaelPMaccabee
The graph is worthless without the information used to create the graph. I could simply say that my independent research concludes that the US only spent about $3.50 on Welfare in the last 5 years.

Doesn't make it true, and I'm not saying that this isn't true, but where can I read the report and decide for myself whether the merit of this graph is worth bothering to talk about?

Did you follow the link I provided ?

Had you done that, you'd have found supporting information for the graph. I merely posted it here as I thought it was an interesting visual aid for the class.

SadistNocturne

MichaelPMaccabee
The graph is worthless without the information used to create the graph. I could simply say that my independent research concludes that the US only spent about $3.50 on Welfare in the last 5 years.

Doesn't make it true, and I'm not saying that this isn't true, but where can I read the report and decide for myself whether the merit of this graph is worth bothering to talk about?

Did you follow the link I provided ?

Had you done that, you'd have found supporting information for the graph. I merely posted it here as I thought it was an interesting visual aid for the class.

You linked a news story, I'm not looking for information filtered through a news source, but rather the actual report. This news agency seems to have had access to the Congressional report, and I think it's pretty telling that the news agency has decided against providing a link to the report themselves.

reply to post by MichaelPMaccabee


If you bothered to look the source is listed at the bottom of the chart.