Posted on 09/16/2014 5:25:39 PM PDT by Chgogal
This week, the U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to release its annual poverty report. The report will be notable because this year marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. In his January 1964 State of the Union address, Johnson proclaimed, “This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America.”[1]
Since that time, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $22 trillion on anti-poverty programs (in constant 2012 dollars). Adjusted for inflation, this spending (which does not include Social Security or Medicare) is three times the cost of all military wars in U.S. history since the American Revolution. Despite this mountain of spending, progress against poverty, at least as measured by the government, has been minimal.
(Excerpt) Read more at heritage.org ...
Popular bumper stickers of the time:
I’M FIGHTING THE WAR ON POVERTY - I’M WORKING
THE GREAT SOCIETY - POVERTY FOR ALL
Rush mentioned this today.
We need to find a way to have the recipients of the “War on Poverty” money pay it back. Perhaps indentured servitude and debtors prisons should make a return. If the GOP pushes these two ideas, millions of disaffected conservatives will turn out and vote Republican; of course, today’s GOPe cares more about looking “hip” and “cool” on late night talk shows than they do about winning elections.
The states have never amended the Constitution to expressly grant the feds the specific power to fight poverty. In fact, constitutional experts, including the pre-FDR era Supreme Court, had clarified that the Founding States trusted only the states, not the feds, with the care of the people.
The GOPe think that the way to defeat the Rats is to become one.
But the $22,000,000,000,000.00 (22 trillion) is only “fair”. (for reference: there are 1 trillion seconds in 32 thousand years)
The Dem’s destroying SS. There was also the “Great Society” that bombed as well.
Bet sixty percent went to administration.
We know at least a trillion of it went to the media.
Welfare takes investment capital and turns it into consumer spending- of which the media gets 5 to 10 per cent in advertising costs.
The ‘War On Poverty’ has been a great success for the media. They won’t allow any criticism of it.
That more than covers the 'reparation' bill, don't you think?
At every attempt to curb the welfare state, it is the bureaucrats who fight hardest for more “free”.
If you complain not only will you have to make more bricks but you’ll also have to gather the straw to make them with!
You want to win the war on poverty? Mandantory drug testing for welfare checks identical to the tests required to work.
Within a year, the poverty rate will be cut by half, and most people currently on welfare will discover meaningful lives.
The 22 Trillion is $185,000.00 bucks each taken from the top 50% that work and handed to the moochers to piss away.
How much more would it have improved our lives if it had not been stolen. That is the equivalent of a half a million dollar house for every two child family in America!
They hold their toung because the ‘War on poverty” is really a war on honest elections because when you get down to it all theses programs are designed to do one thing: buy votes and dependency.
They can’t killed them now because that is 22 trillion and 50 years of campaigning to support them. There is no possible citizen/private political force in this country that can match that.
we would undoubtedly be celebrating man’s returnfrom Mars... not the abilty to launch Americans into orbit.
Charles Barkley
Pretty much sums it up.
Liberals feed off of the poor. I remember in the eighties it took $44,000 to give a family of four $12,000. I wonder how outrageous the numbers are today.
Hiway, bridge repair, cures for diseases ...
At least; a lot of libs make a living from the poverty industry. Here in NJ most municipalities have to pay their workers (teachers, cops, etc.) from property taxes raised locally; the welfare reservations have most of these things paid by “the state” (read: the taxpayers).
I’ve never seen such utter dependence...
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