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Welfare recipents in nine liberal state make more money than 20% of all American taxpayers!

January 26, 2013

My Unfair Share

In 2005, the upper 10% earned 41% of the income, and paid 55% of the taxes, while the rest of us earned 59% of the income, and paid 45% of the taxes. In 2009 the upper 10% made 43% of the income, and paid 71% of the taxes.

This is where the government gets its money, but where does it go? Nearly two thirds of all government revenue goes to entitlements. Though Social Security and Medicare aren't technically entitlements (since they are supposed to be self-funded) they are included in the government revenue and are the second largest source of revenue for the government. This revenue has been "borrowed" for other purposes and replaced with I.O.U.'s, so instead of collecting interest, Social Security payments are now being paid with borrowed money (from China) on which we must pay interest. Instead of sustaining itself, it has become one of the things that is sucking us dry.

Social Security was a decent idea. The recipients pay into the fund (currently 6.2% of their gross paycheck, plus the employers match it with another 6.2%, totaling 12.4%) all their working years and the money collects interest. So if the fund would have been properly managed, it would have carried itself. Perhaps Social Security can still be fixed, but it will take accountants and business people, not politicians, to fix it. What politicians must do, is what Ross Perot wanted to do in 1992 -- put it in a "lock box", making it inaccessible for any other purpose.

Medicare is 1.45% of gross payroll, also matched by the employers' 1.45%, totaling 2.9%. Rising healthcare costs have made this program unsustainable. I don't think even accountants or business people can fix this one.

And what about welfare? According to the US Department of Health and Human Services:

47 million people in America are on food stamps.

4.3 million people in America are on welfare.

A person on welfare in the State of:
Hawaii gets the equivalent of a person making $17.50 per hour.
Alaska $15.48 per hour.
Massachusetts $14.66 per hour.
Connecticut $14.23 per hour.
Washington, D.C. $13.99 per hour.
New York $13.13 per hour.
New Jersey $12.55 per hour.
Rhode Island $12.55 per hour.
California $11.59 per hour.

This is more money than 20% of all American taxpayers make! And yet, where is this money coming from? From the taxpayers! In the above mentioned states, welfare pays more than the average salary of a teacher in the United States. Plus, the total amount of money you can still earn monthly and still receive welfare is $1000. In 40 states welfare pays more than an $8 per hour job.

What's fair about this? Or maybe the bigger question, how is this sustainable?

Many in America live in a make-believe virtual world where there are no consequences for their actions. More and more Americans (like Hollywood-ians) have adopted the Epicurean Philosophy: Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die. But sooner or later, everyone will have to eat, drink, and be merry on their own dime.

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