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Big Gov't Programs Wasting Billions for Nothing?
CBN News ^ | Wednesday, January 08, 2014 | Paul Strand

Posted on 01/08/2014 8:37:13 PM PST by robowombat

Big Gov't Programs Wasting Billions for Nothing?

By Paul Strand CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent Wednesday, January 08, 2014

WASHINGTON - Federal social programs are supposed to help the poor and disadvantaged in the country. It turns out many of these programs spend billions of taxpayer dollars while doing no good at all.

A new book is raising the question few in Washington dare to ask, "Do Federal Social Programs Work?"

It's author, David Mulhausen, has a definitive answer.

"The government is stepping in, saying, 'We've got a program for you and that's going to make your life better off.' And the fact is these programs aren't making people better off," Muhlhausen said.

Muhlhausen, withThe Heritage Foundation, combed exhaustively through tons of the best, gold standard studies.

"And they almost all find the federal government fails at improving the lives of Americans," Muhlhausen said.

A program like Head Start has the good intention of helping disadvantaged children catch up with better-off kids. But Muhlhausen said the best studies find that it's not reaching its goals.

"Head Start has no impact at improving the cognitive abilities of these students. And we're spending $8 billion a year on this program that's not making a difference," he said.

All these federal social programs are meant to do good but are doing little or nothing and cost taxpayers more than $440 billion a year.

So what's to lose by killing them off? Mulhausen argues that some programs actually do harm.

"Programs that don't improve people's lives are not going to be missed," he said.

He referred to programs like the 21st Century Learning Centers that are supposed to help kids after school become better students. He says the studies show the results aren't there.

"What they found is that kids who participated in this program were more likely to be suspended. They did less well in school," Mulhausen said.

"This program's about $1 billion a year. It's a small chunk of change in the federal budget, but it's $1 billion that causes harm," he added.

Some suspect since the author works at the conservative Heritage Foundation he's just out to attack liberal programs. But others have made similar conclusions.

Muhlhausen's book also blasts the results of favorite conservative programs, like those meant to curb teen sex or bolster the family.

He advocates stripping the money from any program that doesn't work. And he points out there are private and local programs that are successful.

"It's not that nothing works," Muhlhausen said. "It's just big federal government programs don't work."


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: obama; teacher

1 posted on 01/08/2014 8:37:13 PM PST by robowombat
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To: robowombat

I don’t who this is news to


2 posted on 01/08/2014 8:38:11 PM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: robowombat
2013 Budget of Dept of HHS: almost a trillion dollars - this before Obamacare. What idiot would not realize that funding these bureaucracies, with their own self-interest and self-perpetuating agenda that produce absolutely NOTHING, would not severely increase costs of EVERYTHING.
3 posted on 01/08/2014 8:47:38 PM PST by PapaNew
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To: robowombat

by cutting them off, the dems will lose the main source of their voting base...

the bought and paid for voter


4 posted on 01/08/2014 8:49:15 PM PST by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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To: PapaNew

Start by killing (figuratively - they are sooooo dumb) the BATFE.


5 posted on 01/08/2014 8:50:38 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: robowombat
""Do Federal Social Programs Work?" "

Heck yeah. They are White-Collar Welfare of the first order.

6 posted on 01/08/2014 8:52:08 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

“”Do Federal Social Programs Work?” “

Heck yeah. They are White-Collar Welfare of the first order.

That may be truer than you imagine. Of every welfare dollar spent, 28 cents gets to the final recipient. The other 72 cents is spent on administrative costs. For that kind of outsize ratio, you’d maybe think they could eliminate some of the rampant fraud in the system.

But then, you’d not be thinking like a good bureuacrat, would you?


7 posted on 01/08/2014 9:01:02 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (At no time was the Obama administration aware of what the Obama administration was doing)
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To: robowombat
most people just do not understand...even here....its about the MONEY and the POWER that spending money gets you...whether its paying off teachers unions or state workers or prison guards or just plain paying off the elite bankers and powerbrokers....its still and forever will be about the MONEY....

ideology be damned...its convenient for the leftist to preach ideology but all they really want is the power to boss the rest of us around and to live like royalty while doing it....

8 posted on 01/08/2014 9:06:09 PM PST by cherry (.in the time of universal deceit, telling the truth is revolutionary.....)
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To: robowombat

Are they up to wasting billions now? Last I checked it was only hundred of millions.. /s


9 posted on 01/08/2014 9:06:36 PM PST by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
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To: GeronL
I don’t [know] who this is news to

I'd say at least 47% of the population of the U.S.

10 posted on 01/08/2014 9:29:48 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (I forgot what my tagline was supposed to say)
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To: robowombat

If you are going to waste billions, waste it on SOMETHING rather than NOTHING.


11 posted on 01/09/2014 3:00:37 AM PST by Right Wing Assault
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To: Right Wing Assault

Nothing new in this story, its been going on for years and no one cares to stop it. Good example is trying to get people off of welfare, that too is a waste of money as the “takers” do not want to change.


12 posted on 01/09/2014 3:55:19 AM PST by DaveA37
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To: robowombat


THIS TEACHER HAS GUTS


This teacher has more guts than our entire Congress, Supreme Court and the Obama administration. GOD bless a teacher.

A TEACHER FROM THE GREAT STATE OF MISSOURI WILL LOSE HER JOB FOR STANDING UP FOR ALL OF US.
Give this teacher and true American a standing ovation. This 4th grade teacher has said it all, and she was brave enough to attach her name to it.


The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington , DC 20500

Mr. Obama:

I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.

You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America.

You are responsible to the citizens of the United States. You are not responsible to the peoples of any other country on earth.

I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States, telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world.

Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about, if not the consideration of the peoples of Europe?

Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?

Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country?

Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States?

This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and the principles governing this country, at least until you came along, come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?

Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia. You didn't show Great Britain, our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia.

How dare you, sir! How dare you!

You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don't want to offend the Germans, but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey. You offended our dead and every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What's the matter with you?

I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.

You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers, yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses.

What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.

What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves?

I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You haven't said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn't!

Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses.

In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven't you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now?

I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do.

We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you.

I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities.

I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not destroy my beautiful country.

Sincerely, Every real American

P.S. I rarely ask that emails be 'passed around'.................

PLEASE SEND THIS TO YOUR EMAIL LIST…..
It is past time for all Americans to wake up!


Ms Kathleen Lyday
Fourth Grade Teacher
Grandview Elementary School
11470 Hwy . C Hillsboro , MO 63050



(This woman may lose her job for this letter.
I believe we owe it to her for expressing the outrage that we feel, but fail to address.)



Please pass this on.





13 posted on 01/09/2014 4:43:54 AM PST by devolve ("He's just 'too talented' to do what 'ordinary people' do." "Barry of Bungle" "Homo Electus")
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To: robowombat

“It’s just big federal government programs don’t work.”

And yet the Republicans cannot bring themselves to name even one except for Obamacare that they could bear to get rid of.


14 posted on 01/09/2014 8:06:22 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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