The Welfare State in the U.S.,1930/2011

Lets take a look at The Great Depression.
A time when the average citizen became penniless,jobless,and hungry almost overnight.

The Great Depression transformed the American political and economic landscape.

The Depression strengthened the federal presence in American life, producing such innovations as national old age pensions, unemployment compensation, aid to dependent children, public housing, federally subsidized school lunches, insured bank deposits, the minimum wage, and stock market regulation. It fundamentally altered labor relations, producing a revived labor movement and a national labor policy protective of collective bargaining. It transformed the farm economy by introducing federal price supports and rural electrification. Above all, the Great Depression produced a fundamental transformation in public attitudes. It led Americans to view the federal government as the ultimate protector of public well-being.

The end of Small Government,the rise of the "protector" Government moves in.

Before the Great Depression, people refused to go on government welfare except as a last resort. The newspapers published the names of all those who received welfare payments, and people thought of welfare as a disgrace. However, in the face of starving families at home, some men signed up for welfare payments. For most it was a very painful experience.

Lets compare Welfare to 2011.

On March 16, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty in the United States. He created large-scale national programs aimed at helping the poor and needy that consumed nearly 1.2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). The programs were meant to be temporary, short-term investments. Instead they have become permanent fixtures in government programming and spawned the creation of dozens more programs over the years. Today, spending on welfare programs (adjusted for inflation) is 13 times greater than it was in 1964.

Congress should ask pointed questions about why the war on poverty continues to escalate more than four decades after it began. The Obama Administration’s expansion of the welfare state, in combination with its effort to define poverty up, does not bode well for economic freedom in the United States.

The Great Depression in Global Perspective


The Great Depression Hits Farms and Cities in the 1930s

Expanding the Failed War on Poverty: Obama’s 2011 Budget Increases Welfare Spending to Historic Levels

Some more interesting and sometimes shocking facts...............

On May 6, 1929, Joseph Stalin predicted to a small group of American communists that America would experience a revolutionary crisis and that the American communist party should be ready to assume the leadership of the “impending class struggle in America.”k

When the Depression struck, Mexican-Americans were accused of taking jobs away from “real” Americans and of unfairly burdening local relief efforts. Some were “encouraged” to return to Mexico.k

In the mountain communities of Appalachia, whole families were reduced to dandelions and blackberries for their basic diet. Some children were so hungry, they chewed on their own hands.g

The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act of 1930 increased U.S. tariffs which, in turn, decreased international trade (especially in the farming sector) and helped spread the Great Depression worldwide.j As it spread, it became partly responsible for Nazism in Germany and for WWII (1939-1945).f

50 Interesting Facts About . . . The Great Depression

I believe Pride is missing in America. We have become so dependent on Government,that over the years,we have lost our way.

You can see some parallels to the Great Depression,but as a debtors Nation,we have sold our children's fortunes down the river.

reply to post by sonnny1


No arguing with you there, pal. Our pride has never been stronger, partly because we lie to ourselves about it. We've forgotten what pride is. What greed is. And vanity. We're finding new ways to be vain that would never have been anticipated before. So in effect we are being blind-sighted by our own dark secrets. Looks like this is going to get way worse than it gets better unless they find a way to put a band aid on it for a while in hopes to stave off the infection.

The antidote is Courage and Truth. Guard these with your life and use them for all they're worth. Don't despair for yourself. Your strength will be needed when the time comes and others begin to despair.

The welfare state includes many things that what are considered to be "Called welfare" money for nothing is welfare

Social Securty,medicare,medicaid,student loans.free homes and then figure in the other government subsidies more than half this nations population is receiving some sort of government check and that isn't enough that want to add more.

Everyone knows that it is beyond ridiculous and the kicker here they borrow money from China because no amount of taxation already collected can pay for those programs.

Over 150 trillion dollars is the cost of the welfare state and people just can't comprehend that little fact because if they truly did they would cut spending.

reply to post by TheMatrixusesYou


I agree.

EVERYONE is struggling,but obviously the Welfare system,designed to be short term,has become institutionalized,like daily breakfast.

Pride in our Nation has been compromised,with failed policys,that continue to erode the American dream.

Originally posted by neo96
The welfare state includes many things that what are considered to be "Called welfare" money for nothing is welfare

Social Securty,medicare,medicaid,student loans.free homes and then figure in the other government subsidies more than half this nations population is receiving some sort of government check and that isn't enough that want to add more.

Everyone knows that it is beyond ridiculous and the kicker here they borrow money from China because no amount of taxation already collected can pay for those programs.

Over 150 trillion dollars is the cost of the welfare state and people just can't comprehend that little fact because if they truly did they would cut spending.

Yeah. What do we live in? La La Land? It's funny when you compare our GDP, National Debt and then trying to cut out 1.2 trillion over ten years. When you crunch the numbers, it's like you make $30,000 a year, you spend $42,000 a year and you're trying to cut out 385 dollars!

Ok. So here are the numbers going by usdebtclock.org...:
For simplicity I rounded the numbers to bring out a bunch of zeros, and believe me, the numbers are still climbing

Budget Deficit: 1,030,000,000,000 This is how much we are over our budget
Spending: 3,603,000,000,000
Tax Revenue 2,301,000,000,000
Congress to eliminate each year for ten years or 1.2 trillion divided by 10
120,000,000,000

Now remove zeros:

Deficit 10,300

Bills 36,030

Income 23,010

cut back 1,200

Where's the logic?

The welfare state in the U.S. includes bailing out banks and paying with our tax dollars and blood to help countries overseas.

If we're going to stop helping our own, then we need to stop helping everybody else as well, and preferably first.

Heck, if we stopped helping everybody out, then maybe we could actually afford to help our own.

Originally posted by AnIntellectualRedneck
The welfare state in the U.S. includes bailing out banks and paying with our tax dollars and blood to help countries overseas.

If we're going to stop helping our own, then we need to stop helping everybody else as well, and preferably first.

Heck, if we stopped helping everybody out, then maybe we could actually afford to help our own.

edit on 21-11-2011 by AnIntellectualRedneck because: (no reason given)

I agree with that also.....

But as you can see,the whole "welfare state" started in the 1930's,and has morphed into what we have now. For as much as we give away,Americans "feel" that they deserve it,need it,want it,abuse it. They have taken it beyond what people back then felt about it............PRIDE is gone.

I cant aggree more pride is going . We should be PROUD we let millions suffer of starvation farther more we should willing embrace this tryed and true method of dealing with poverty .
After all once they starve that leaves more for you.
Heck we should cut every thing TODAY no food stamps forget disability no more low income houseing .
Heck close the food pantry wile your at it . And in 3 months when the use looks like africa you can come on here talking about how proud you are

I agree that "pride" is virtuous thing but when times get tough one has to realize that pride won't pay your bills, fill your belly or keep a roof over you and your kids heads.

People don't just flock to welfare because it's such a luxurious lifestyle or because they want to kick back and take it easy. I assure you that life on welfare is no cakewalk and most people don't realize just how close they are to welfare and homelessness. How many could go for 6 months without a job?

I agree that some people will indeed abuse the welfare system and it's those people who should be held accountable! To punish those who are truly needy because of the actions of a few is, in my book, extremely shortsighted and completely devoid of compassion, to say the least.

Furthermore, it is "corporate greed" that's causing the increase in need. It is they who actively support and lobby for things like a minimum wage that wouldn't pay for what I spent on dates in high school in 1975. It is they who refuse to pay their fair share of this nation's financial tax burden, if they pay anything at all. It is they who continually advocate against worker's rights and benefits. It is they who utilize things like predatory lending to steal the wealth of America. In essence, they are the creators of the very situation they continually bitch about.

All the while, they continue to reap in "corporate welfare" in record amounts because that type of welfare is O.K.. I remember reading a few years ago that for every dollar this nation spends on social welfare, we spend 3 dollars on corporate welfare. Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black, if you ask me.