Posted on 05/26/2012 9:16:52 AM PDT by BradtotheBone
49.1%: Percent of the population that lives in a household where at least one member received some type of government benefit in the first quarter of 2011.
Cutting government spending is no easy task, and it’s made more complicated by recent Census Bureau data showing that nearly half of the people in the U.S. live in a household that receives at least one government benefit, and many likely received more than one.
The 49.1% of the population in a household that gets benefits is up from 30% in the early 1980s and 44.4% as recently as the third quarter of 2008.
The increase in recent years is likely due in large part to the lingering effects of the recession. As of early 2011, 15% of people lived in a household that received food stamps, 26% had someone enrolled in Medicaid and 2% had a member receiving unemployment benefits. Families doubling up to save money or pool expenses also is likely leading to more multigenerational households. But even without the effects of the recession, there would be a larger reliance on government.
The Census data show that 16% of the population lives in a household where at least one member receives Social Security and 15% receive or live with someone who gets Medicare. There is likely a lot of overlap, since Social Security and Medicare tend to go hand in hand, but those percentages also are likely to increase as the Baby Boom generation ages.
With increased government spending comes the need to pay for it, and if taxes aren’t going to increase that means deficits. Nearly three-quarters of Americans blame the U.S. budget deficit on spending too much money on federal programs, according to a Gallup poll last year, but
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
You know, that’s just disgusting.
What’s worse is that we have a government that actively makes it difficult to be independent.
Plus we glorify societal leaches like lawyers that make money for producing nothing but paper and strife.
What is sad about this is Obama is going to do something. He will cut benefits.......veterans disability benefits.
I don’t think lumping in medicare and SS recipients with general welfare recipients paints a very honest picture.
I agree about SS/Madicare. It’s just not realistic. I’m getting SS but I’m also paying a hell of a tax load.
This (along with voter fraud) explains why Obama is in the White House.
People on the take, along with those who gain power by having people on the take, make up a good part of the population.
Too bad the public education system didn’t combat this thinking rather than perpetuate it.
Lots of people don’t know that SS benefits are taxable. So, this article does not show how many of the 49% are paying taxes.
socialism lives
I paid in to SS all my working life and signed up to have my “donations” returned a year ago. It’s MY MONEY !
up from 30% in the early 1980s and 44.4% as recently as the third quarter of 2008.
Another Obama ‘achievement’. Up 44.4% since the third quarter of 2008.
Many folks, WSJ writers among them, forget that the US government has tangible assets that can be disposed of for the purpose of paying bills.
My point exactly. I get the point to many people are on the government dole but people who have worked their entire lives and paid into a retirement system should not be lumped in with fat ass scumbags who live their worthless lives sucking up whatever free stuff they can from others who have to foot the bill.
Some of those assets don't need to be sold; just leased, and it would help pay the debt. But the destroyer-in-chief would rather sink the economy than allow those assets to be used.
To lump together Veteran’s benefits, Social Security, etc. in with welfare makes no sense. To me it is just a way to keep welfare from being reformed, if some demand changes- well when taken as a group it is harder.
wonder if we get another chance.
Its ONLY 49.1%?!
That’s right. You did pay for it and so did your employer. Now that the politicans want to spend your money elsewhere, they claim it’s not your’s anymore and you are a moocher equivalent to the welfare queen.
They argue that your benifits exceed what you and your employer paid in and they want out of the program now because they blew the money buying off favors elsewhere. I say, if they return the money with interest they took from us for our retirement and health care, they can end the ponzi program.
They have known this was coming forever. Boomers are going to retire and the government spent the money they paid in for retirement elsewhere. Americans were told the invasion of legal and illegal foreigners into the US was being promoted so the government could afford to pay for the boomer retirement bomb.
In the mean time middle class jobs and taxes are drying up because we can’t compete in salaries and living standards with the communist slaves in China.
Yeah, we are in a pickle alright. But nothing that wasn’t warned about, over and over again.
Back in the '90s I was a programmer whose contract ran out in mid-November. A bad time as holidays and end of year closing up the books was coming up. I applied for unemployment for the first time in my 60+ years. I went to the Ft. Walton, Fl unemployment office and was signed up by a retired military guy, with no problems. Then he went into a spiel about how many other state and federal benefits were available to me and so help me, my skin began to crawl as I could feel tentacles wrapping around me.
I knew that after the first of the year I would land another contract (picked up one in Texas) and be done with the unemployment routine, so I declined all offers. Deer-in-headlights response, then in a loud voice, "APPLICANT REFUSES FURTHER BENEFITS." I replied in an equally loud voice, "THAT IS CORRECT." as I viewed it as intimidation, and walked out. That experience left me with a knowlege on just how easy one could become ensnared and backs up your comments.
I knew this 49% was bogus.
SS ain’t some gubmit benefit, hell we all paid through the nose for 40+ years for this measly “return”. Now SSI is a whole nuther story!
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