Suckling at Big Brother's Ample Teats

Nietzsche is Dead ^ | 6 June 09 | foutsc

[foutsc]

Our slide to Socialism seems to have taken another lurch downward. Who would have believed that out of every six dollars Americans make, one dollar is straight from the government?

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, government handouts increased from a low in the early '50s of 4% to over 16% today. In total, we are looking at 2 trillion dollars a year going to the "Great Society" - an average of $17,000 per family.

I remember growing up poor on a Wisconsin farm. While most of our liberal neighbors were happy to get their literal government cheese, my stepfather refused; it was a point of honor not to plant your face in Big Brother's bosom and suckle like a child.

I believe at the heart of this is a lack of honesty in the American character. It's all right to steal, apparently, when the government does the thieving for you. I thought it was a crime to receive stolen goods?

The LA Times ran an article recently about how people are using their unemployment to catch up on leisure activities - the new word is FUNemployment. What ever happened to hitting the pavement, handing out resumes, and getting an honest job? What ever happened to personal responsibility?

I have to confess, my faith in the American people is wavering. I am solidly in the Thomas Jefferson / Ronald Reagan camp where the whole of the people, moral and religious, are an anchor to our Republic. I'm tempted to think we are losing our Republic and we only need to look in the mirror to see the culprits.

A question I pose to you is this: if massive inflation or even hyperinflation arises, will these millions on the dole continue "funemployment" activities, or throw an adult temper tantrum? One liberal throwing a tantrum is bad enough, but when you have millions it becomes an historic event. Bear in mind with hyperinflation, that block of government cheese shrinks to microscopic size - and the government won't be able to increase benefits to keep up with skyrocketing inflation.

To those adults who continue to think as children, Big Brother has a chestful of teats to suckle from; to those who resist paying for this outrage, Big Bro also has sharp teeth.

The above graphic is a boobgoblin from South Park, and not to be confused with Janet Napolitano.

- Hugh Farnham

[foutsc]

Hugh is a funny guy who has a wry view of life in an ObamaNation...

[JasonC]

Um, since the government takes in a third of our incomes, how could it *not* pay back out a comparable sum? What do you think they are doing with it, burning it?

[foutsc]

"Um, since the government takes in a third of our incomes, how could it *not* pay back out a comparable sum? What do you think they are doing with it, burning it?"

Good question, Jason. The problem is, they're taking money from one group, raking off a big percentage for themselves (enriching themselves at taxpayer expense), feeding the bureaucratic beast (the equivalent of burning money), then giving the leftovers to another group who never payed anything in. It's called vote-buying, and they're doing it with your money. Happy?

[sten]

if they take 33% of our income and only give back 16%... there are only a few options:

1. they are saving the difference
2. they are keeping it themselves in personal bank accounts
3. they are giving it to foreign countries
4. paying off debt (to foreign countries)

i’m not sure how many other options there would be.

[JasonC]

Every dollar they take, they spend.

Only thing that varies is on what, and at what level of government.

There are something like 20 million direct employees of government at all levels. That is about 14% of the whole workforce.

They buy military equipment, pay for roads and bridges, put up public buildings. Procurement is something like $70 billion a year and public construction something over $200 billion, so combined that capital spending is a few percent of GDP.

About 3% of GDP is paid out as interest to bondholders, most of them domestic pensions and retirees. Another couple of percent is tax free interest to rich families on municipal bonds, which funds everything from hospitals to airports etc.

And the balance, easily the largest item and comparable to direct payrolls, are paid out to millions of individual beneficiaries as entitlements. The biggest line items being medical payments for retirees and the poor, retirement, veterans' pensions and other benefits, and public sector pensions for retireed government workers.

Money doesn't disappear. It circulates.