Posted on 05/23/2011 4:07:52 PM PDT by Kaslin
Those who regard government "entitlement" programs as sacrosanct, and regard those who want to cut them back as calloused or cruel, picture a world very different from the world of reality.
To listen to some of the defenders of entitlement programs, which are at the heart of the present financial crisis, you might think that anything the government fails to provide is something that people will be deprived of.
In other words, if you cut spending on school lunches, children will go hungry. If you fail to subsidize housing, people will be homeless. If you fail to subsidize prescription drugs, old people will have to eat dog food in order to be able to afford their meds.
This is the vision promoted by many politicians and much of the media. But, in the world of reality, it is not even true for most people who are living below the official poverty line.
Most Americans living below the official poverty line own a car or truck — and government entitlement programs seldom provide cars and trucks. Most people living below the official poverty line also have air conditioning, color television and a microwave oven — and these too are not usually handed out by government entitlement programs.
Cell phones and other electronic devices are by no means unheard of in low-income neighborhoods, where children would supposedly go hungry if there were no school lunch programs. In reality, low-income people are overweight even more often than other Americans
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Ping to another awesome column by Dr Sowell
“In reality, low-income people are overweight even more often than other Americans”
We have such an abundance in this country, we have no idea what real privation is.
“The country as a whole is not any richer because the government
pays our medical bills — with money that it takes from us.”
As one who is dependent on Government assistance I say cut it back(for those younger than me only)
You are quite welcome :)
More brilliance from Dr. Sowell. Thanks for the ping and post.
We msut nominate this guy for our 2012 leader!
The problem with government "charity" is the same as with most other charities.
They keep most of the money for "administrative purposes and salaries" and only a small percentage goes for the intended purpose.
It is institutionalized fraud.
Wasn’t it Ben Franklin who warned us not to coddle the poor, but to make them struggle and to hate being poor as a way to improve themselves?
I would vote for him in a minute
Thanks for the ping jaz. Right he is. As long as the public buys it, they will keep selling it.
Education. Not a lot. Just a little bit of education could do wonders for our society.
The country as a whole is not any richer because the government pays our medical bills — with money that it takes from us.
How true is this? How can the nation be richer because of money spent by the government that is either taken from us by coercion or borrowed from future generations? How?
Professor Walter Williams of George Mason University long ago showed that you could give the poor enough money to lift them all above the official poverty line for a fraction of what it costs to support a massive welfare state bureaucracy.
This suggests, of course, that the purpose of poverty programs is not to alleviate suffering, but to control the public. Freepers know this, but the public, unfortunately, does not.
The goal is not to keep the poor from starving but to create dependency, because dependency translates into votes for politicians who play Santa Claus.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner!
"Entitlement" is just a fancy word for dependency.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding....
-- P.J. O'Rourke
The goal is not to keep the poor from starving but to create dependency, because dependency translates into votes for politicians who play Santa Claus.IOW,
The goal is not to keep the poor from starving but to buy their votes.
I couldn't agree more and a number of Democrats have been very successful at it, I guess some Republicans too.
Just a little bit of education would take away a lot of power from the ruling class.
That’s why you see them all clamoring for better economic literacy... not.
” More brilliance from Dr. Sowell. “
Just another day for Tom.
I am really thinking we somehow need to do a better job of showcasing people who have made it without handouts. A way that it would appeal to the masses, maybe some sort of reality show. In 30 or 60 minutes, showcase a family who despite great odds, dysfunctional surroundings, or upbringings, etc. make it to lead exceptional lives. I know my own story is fairly remarkable and had I relied on government and handouts I’d be a single mother sitting around in squalor in upstate NY somewhere. I thank God everyday for sparing me from that world of low expectations and greyness.
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