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Posted on 02/08/2012 10:33:59 AM PST by Hunton Peck
The American public's dependence on the federal government shot up 23% in just two years under President Obama, with 67 million now relying on some federal program, according to a newly released study by the Heritage Foundation.
The conservative think tank's annual Index of Dependence on Government tracks money spent on housing, health, welfare, education subsidies and other federal programs that were "traditionally provided to needy people by local organizations and families."
The increase under Obama is the biggest two-year jump since Jimmy Carter was president, the data show.
The rise was driven mainly by increases in housing subsidies, an expansion in Medicaid and changes to the welfare system, along with a sharp rise in food stamps, the study found.
"You can't get around the fact that policy decisions made over the past two years, on top of those made over the past several decades, are having a large effect on the pace of growth of the index," said William Beach, who authored the Heritage study.
Dependence on the government has climbed steadily since 1962, when the index stood at 19. By 1980, the index had risen to 100. It stood at 294 in 2010, the last year for which the data are available. The D.C.-based Heritage Foundation has produced the index for nine years.
The report also found that spending on "dependence programs" accounts for more than 70% of the federal budget. That, too, is up dramatically. In 1990, for example, the figure stood at 48.5%, and in 1962 just over a quarter of federal spending went to dependence programs.
At the same time, fewer Americans pay income taxes, the report notes. Almost half (49.5%) didn't pay income taxes in 2009, the latest year for which the researchers have data. Back in the late 1960s, only 12% of Americans...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
He'll get what he deserves in November. Then he can join the other boil on America's collective ass...Jimmah Carter...and make a fortune bashing America. Sad too. He's much younger than Carter was when he was turned out resoundingly so we'll be subject to his presence for far much longer than we've had to endure the peanut farmer.
I hear there's an increase in HIV infections among older gay African Kenyon-American males...just sayin'
I’m totally anti-Baraq, but a good number us us added “dependers” are folks who used to make good money and have employer health benefits and have now gone on SS & Medicare which are included in these numbers.
This wave of baby boomers transitioning out of the workforce will go on for 20+ years.
This is the liberals dream come true. Everyone dependent on the government. The political gallows for any political who dares question the gravy train.
The Heritage Foundation study to which this article refers is here :
http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/pdf/CDA12-02.pdf
The HF’s abstract of the study is here:
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/02/2012-index-of-dependence-on-government
And their article about it is here:
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/08/dependence-on-government-at-all-time-high/
Well the reality is that even though the govt has p*ssed away all the money I and my employer put in (over $400,000 in my case), I can’t afford to say no to the payments, and I doubt many FReepers can.
There’s no shame in that. The shame is that your kids and grand kids aren’t likely to get squat or what they get will buy an egg out of a dozen.
Dependency factor?....You bet!....Those not contributing depending on those that do! FUBO!
Those having “dependency” don’t necessarily vote for the politician promising the most, or for the Democrat ... sorry for being somewhat redundant. I have had many government paychecks over the years, and will happily vote to eliminate a lot of that to help the economy grow and get rid of the very program that may personally benefit me.
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