Confessions of a Welfare Queen

Reason ^ | Feb 26, 2004 | John Stossel

[Siamese Princess]

Yup, everyone is feeding at the trough, rich, middle class and poor. Medicare is the biggest welfare program of all (soon to be expanded), followed by Social Security. A major reason for the moral rot and just plain fecklessness of recent years is that the welfare state saves people from the consequences of their own folly (quite the contrary, it rewards them for it) and teaches them that there are legal ways to get other people to pay for things that benefit them personally.

[jocon307]

bumping to read with coffee in th morining. ( Not Koffi, you know, the 8 o'clock brand)

[neverdem]

Hypocrisy and pork PING.

[nutmeg]

Stossel ping!

[flashbunny]

He did this in a piece for give me a break about a year or so ago. Even had video of his house going out to sea.

[GeronL]

BIG TIME BUMP!!!!!

[cyborg]

BTTT

[FITZ]

This annoyed Trump. He told reporters her house was ugly, and it would be better if it were torn down to make room for a parking lot for limousines waiting outside his casino.

I've always suspected Trump didn't get so rich by being completely honest and hard working. How many politicians did he figure out to buy? What a terrible display of power over the little guy.

[GeronL]

PINGIT!

[cyborg]

Trump is a pompous a$$. Watching The Apprentice, I'd never want to go work in the business world.

[GeronL]

Super Bump Ping

[B-Chan]

In my book, the only individuals who should get a check from the government are those who have served in the military or Merchant Marine. Veterans deserve the finest our society can offer in return for their service.

I'm against the government handing out checks to corporations as well. The only exceptions are those industries that need to be kept at home due to national security concerns: shipyards, aerospace, food producers, etc. Yes, overseas firms can build ships more cheaply than we can, for example, but if a war came and we suddenly needed to build a large number of ships quickly we might find ourselves unable to do so. Ditto food, airplanes, or anything else that has a national security role — there are some things we simply can't afford to have done in some other country.

[philetus]

Stossel: Mother Jones [magazine] pictured you as a pig. You’re a pig feeding at the welfare trough.

Andreas: Why should I care?

Translation- F*** you taxpayers

"Pork is in the eye of the beholder," he joked. "Where I’m from...[pork] is federal programs that go north of Memphis."

Translation- F*** you taxpayers

[Straight Vermonter]

Why shovel all this money to American farmers?

Let me add my two cents on this as someone in farm country.

The Northeast Dairy Compact was a big government program to help the dairy farmers of NY and New England fight off foreign competition. From Wisconsin. Over the many years of its existence it was seen as the sole savior of farming in Vermont. The program was finally killed in the fall of 2001.

Has dairy farming ended in Vermont? No. Have farmers had to change their business model? Of course. Most farms now have to be larger to survive (although the greenies are fighting the farmers now). Many farmers here had switched to horse farming even during the years of the compact and I think that trend has probably accelerated now.

Imagine that. People adjusting, successfully, to market changes.

[djreece]

I am beginning to doubt our nation can survive. The American character seems to have degenerated to the point that it's nearly hopeless. I have been stunned by people I have known of all classes and backgrounds who feel justified in taking their turns at the taxpayer trough.

[LowCountryJoe]

In my book, the only individuals who should get a check from the government are those who have served in the military or Merchant Marine. Veterans deserve the finest our society can offer in return for their service.

I'm against the government handing out checks to corporations as well. The only exceptions are those industries that need to be kept at home due to national security concerns: shipyards, aerospace, food producers, etc. Yes, overseas firms can build ships more cheaply than we can, for example, but if a war came and we suddenly needed to build a large number of ships quickly we might find ourselves unable to do so. Ditto food, airplanes, or anything else that has a national security role — there are some things we simply can't afford to have done in some other country.

Why, you're no different than the subjects of Stossel's book. You just want your own spot at the trough and you justify it with industries that are "vital" to national security. As a 10 year active duty veteran of the United States Marine Corp myself [my best John Kerry impersonation because I felt the need to address it, lest I be viewed, somehow, as anti-veteran]. I qualify for the Montgomery GI Bill and health care for life. Had I put in 20 years, I could have collected 40% of the base pay - including periodic pay increases as congress authorizes - for the pay-grade for which I was, for the rest of my life. Not a bad deal, payments would have begun at age 39 for me.

I'm still using my GI Bill at the taxpayer expense. I'm feeding from the trough right now! Can I justify this? only with the standard, "When I make more due to my government funded education, they'll collect more from me in taxes and I'll be a more productive member of society."

If you weigh all things, the non-disabled members of the military get compensated just fine. Disabled military members could be debated at quite some length but it's very difficult to put a price on service connected disabilities and I don't really want to enter that discussion - even though I happen to bring it up.

[LowCountryJoe]

Imagine that. People adjusting, successfully, to market changes.

Nooooo, it can't be. Adjustments!?...markets!?...working!? It's a head scratcher, ain't it?

[LowCountryJoe]

...I have known of all classes and backgrounds who feel justified in taking their turns at the taxpayer trough.

You don't [oink oink] say [oink]!

[dakine]

The military retirement pay for a 20-year E-7 is approximately $1500 a month.