How Much Do We Spend on the Nonworking Poor?

[DiamondDave]

We should be spending no tax dollars on "welfare" or any other entitlements... nor on bailouts, subsidies or kickbacks... one single dollar is one single dollar too much

And what these whackaloons seem to forget is all the rest of the monies that have to be spent in support of the programs.. everything from building maintenance, paper, computer support, etc...

We spend too much in total and we spend too much in areas we are not constitutionally supposed to spend in

 

[Nosmo King]

I have no problem assisting People who are truly mentally or physically handicapped. People who just can't take care of themselves. No problem at all

I do have a problem assuming the burden of taking care of anyone who is able bodied and for whatever reason just can't get off their ass to take care of themselves or their children.

I pick the charities that I donate to. It fries my ass that the idiots in Govt have decided that my hard earned money should go to folks who can't or won't take care of themselves and I have absolutely no say in the matter. Govt sponsored Charity.

Those of you who have no problem taking care of these folks need to start your own charity. Whip out YOUR wallets and YOUR checkbooks and have at it.

Believe me they will take every dime you want to give em.

You are a horrible person.

The vast majority of people on these programs are children.

You are scum

Fuck off moron.

Those children are the respnsibility of their parents, not the taxpayers of America.

If you want to help them so badly and assume that burden then start your own charity. Whip out your wallet and your checkbook and you support em. Spend your own money not everybody elses.

Believe me. They will drain you dry.

So let me see if I understand this hard core approach to poor children. No tax dollars to aid any poor children at all because they are children of responsible hard working Americans. No matter what plight befalls the parents, or more accurately the parent, under no circumstances should any poor child receive any benefit from the government of the United States of America.

Additionally, those parents should never receive any aid in the form of family planning, contraceptive devices, abortion services or health care funded by the people of the United States of America.

In the meantime, what is the hard core Conservative view of homelessness? Should American citizens be living under a bridge with children? If indeed poverty continues to grow and be a blight on our society, what solutions are proffered under the hard core Conservative approach? So far, I've seen the modern Conservative either deny that poverty is a real problem or the solution is to get a job, in spite of high unemployment.

No way out? Brilliant solutions from folks who either do not think about the problem of deny the problem all together.

 

[Claudette]

If you want to assume that burden my friend then feel free.

If the poor and downtrodden bother you so much and you feel they need to be taken care of then you and all like minded are free to do just that.

Only use your own money not everybody elses.

Once they learn your gonna pull their freight for em believe me, they will drain you dry.

 

[Nosmo King]

If you want to assume that burden my friend then feel free.

If the poor and downtrodden bother you so much and you feel they need to be taken care of then you and all like minded are free to do just that.

Only use your own money not everybody elses.

Once they learn your gonna pull their freight for em believe me, they will drain you dry.

I should tell that to my 78 year old mother! You're going to drain me dry! Pull your own weight! Conservatives, those God loving Conservatives, told me the truth about sponges like you!

That ought to do it, right?

 

[Katzndogz]

If people with children choose not to work and rely on sympathy for the children to get them money, take the children away.

Back in the day, when my parents wanted a free lifestyle rather than humdrum work, there was no such thing as welfare the way we have it. No section 8, no food stamps, no medical care. Nothing. The court simply took me away and sent me to live with my aunt until such time as my parents decided to work and maintain a household. They had the absolute freedom to continue living on the streets. It worked quite well. It took about a year during which time there was no visitation before my Dad decided to get a job and rent an apartment. He was never unemployed after that. It worked out well.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Out of touch.

 

[theHawk]

We should only be helping those that are incapable of helping themselves. Although I agree liberalism is a mental disorder, I don't think thats a qualifier. Should just be the mentally handicap and such.

The only big things tax dollars should be going towards are DoD and the DoJ. The rest of it needs to be cut.

 

[Claudette]

If you want to assume that burden my friend then feel free.

If the poor and downtrodden bother you so much and you feel they need to be taken care of then you and all like minded are free to do just that.

Only use your own money not everybody elses.

Once they learn your gonna pull their freight for em believe me, they will drain you dry.

I should tell that to my 78 year old mother! You're going to drain me dry! Pull your own weight! Conservatives, those God loving Conservatives, told me the truth about sponges like you!

That ought to do it, right?

Good thing you ain't talking to my 76 yr old Mother about Welfare because she'd tell ya to shove it up your ass.

She was no fan of Welfare or the handouts the Govt gives out and she wasn't shy about talking about it either.

If you want to assume the burden for these folks then feel free. Have at it. They will love you and take every dime they can get.

 

[g5000]

Just added Mother Jones to my lost of sites that cannot do simple arithmetic. Just an FYI here, $259 billion is more than $235 billion, and the total of all of those is $394 billion, which is more than half of what we spend on the DOD.

If you read the part you quoted, Mother Jones plainly states they deducted 2/3 of the $259 billion spent on Medicaid because that is the amount spent on the elderly, blind, and seriously disabled. The remaining 1/3 is what is spent on the "non-working poor" or, if you prefer, "lazy, shiftless bums". The context makes it obvious that "non-working poor" are those who are capable of working, but aren't, for whatever reason. The elderly, blind, and seriously disabled do not fall into this category, and so the money spent on them was subtracted.

So perhaps you should add yourself to the list of people with reading comprehension problems.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Holy shit......the nutters are really thumping their chests over this issue. What blowhards!

 

[LoneLaugher]

If you want to assume that burden my friend then feel free.

If the poor and downtrodden bother you so much and you feel they need to be taken care of then you and all like minded are free to do just that.

Only use your own money not everybody elses.

Once they learn your gonna pull their freight for em believe me, they will drain you dry.

I should tell that to my 78 year old mother! You're going to drain me dry! Pull your own weight! Conservatives, those God loving Conservatives, told me the truth about sponges like you!

That ought to do it, right?

Good thing you ain't talking to my 76 yr old Mother about Welfare because she'd tell ya to shove it up your ass.

She was no fan of Welfare or the handouts the Govt gives out and she wasn't shy about talking about it either.

If you want to assume the burden for these folks then feel free. Have at it. They will love you and take every dime they can get.

If I put my ass in your mother's face, will she shove it up there for me? Please.....do you ever tire of hyperbole?

 

[WillowTree]

Just added Mother Jones to my lost of sites that cannot do simple arithmetic. Just an FYI here, $259 billion is more than $235 billion, and the total of all of those is $394 billion, which is more than half of what we spend on the DOD.

Did you deduct 2/3 from Medicaid? There are more details contained in the link below (which is also included in the OP link):

Contrary to "Entitlement Society" Rhetoric, Over Nine-Tenths of Entitlement Benefits Go to Elderly, Disabled, or Working Households — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Why would I do that? Are you saying that old people are not poor?

Medicare is for the old people. Medicaid is not. medicaid takes care of the "working poor" and should be counted.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Why are we spending money on anyone? We all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and our families.

Yes, let single mothers with cancer fend for themselves.

So, cancer ridden single moms are the culprits? Who knew?!

There's no end to the colossal stupidity of The Chris!

 

[Nosmo King]

If you want to assume that burden my friend then feel free.

If the poor and downtrodden bother you so much and you feel they need to be taken care of then you and all like minded are free to do just that.

Only use your own money not everybody elses.

Once they learn your gonna pull their freight for em believe me, they will drain you dry.

I should tell that to my 78 year old mother! You're going to drain me dry! Pull your own weight! Conservatives, those God loving Conservatives, told me the truth about sponges like you!

That ought to do it, right?

Good thing you ain't talking to my 76 yr old Mother about Welfare because she'd tell ya to shove it up your ass.

She was no fan of Welfare or the handouts the Govt gives out and she wasn't shy about talking about it either.

If you want to assume the burden for these folks then feel free. Have at it. They will love you and take every dime they can get.

Aren't you glad your mother receives Social Security and Medicare? Or should she send that money back? After all, it's just making her dependent, right?

 

[Claudette]

I should tell that to my 78 year old mother! You're going to drain me dry! Pull your own weight! Conservatives, those God loving Conservatives, told me the truth about sponges like you!

That ought to do it, right?

Good thing you ain't talking to my 76 yr old Mother about Welfare because she'd tell ya to shove it up your ass.

She was no fan of Welfare or the handouts the Govt gives out and she wasn't shy about talking about it either.

If you want to assume the burden for these folks then feel free. Have at it. They will love you and take every dime they can get.

Aren't you glad your mother receives Social Security and Medicare? Or should she send that money back? After all, it's just making her dependent, right?

My Mother was a WWII vet and she and my Dad worked thier whole livese. She payed into SS and Medicare just like everyone else. She also drew it like everyone else.

My Moms been gone since 2003 and a better woman never walked.

BTW she was a lifelong Dem.

 

[GHook93]

Why are we spending money on anyone? We all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and our families.

Yes, let single mothers with cancer fend for themselves.

Why are we spending money on anyone? We all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and our families.

See Chris wants everyone on public aid in his communist dytopia and Avatar might want slim to none on it!

I think your both wrong. I believe in helping the helpless, children with no parents, disabled adults, sick adulty (ex. MS inflicted), the elderly, mentally handicapped, disabled vets or the recently unemployed breadwinner (they aren't necessarily helpless, but they are down on their luck).

NOTE: The homeless are a different story. Many homeless Americans are not helpless (although many find themselves on the streets because they are helpless), but are hopeless. Nevertheless, as a society we should have homeless shelters and soup kitchens. It's morally wrong to reject either! But I digress!

I am against the hopeless, the able body adult who CHOOSES not to work, the drug addict, the man-child refusing to leave his parent's basement (PF Tinmore), the welfare baby that choose to live on scraps and not work instead of getting job, etc.

Helping the helpless is something WE SHOULD DO AS AMERICAN CITIZENS. Not helping the hopeless is something we should DO AS AMERICAN CITIZENS!

 

[Nosmo King]

Good thing you ain't talking to my 76 yr old Mother about Welfare because she'd tell ya to shove it up your ass.

She was no fan of Welfare or the handouts the Govt gives out and she wasn't shy about talking about it either.

If you want to assume the burden for these folks then feel free. Have at it. They will love you and take every dime they can get.

Aren't you glad your mother receives Social Security and Medicare? Or should she send that money back? After all, it's just making her dependent, right?

My Mother was a WWII vet and she and my Dad worked thier whole livese. She payed into SS and Medicare just like everyone else. She also drew it like everyone else.

My Moms been gone since 2003 and a better woman never walked.

BTW she was a lifelong Dem.

I sincerely hope that the tax payer money she received helped make her more comfortable in her retirement.

Too bad the children of the poor can't be made more comfortable too. But that's the Conservative way! Die or get out of the way kids! You're holding up someone's personal profit!

 

[Trajan]

By Kevin Drum

The Republican primary field has recently decided to revive the Welfare Queen trope, perhaps in hopes that a bit of that old Reagan magic will rub off on them. The argument, as usual, is that there's a vast stream of federal money going to people who are sitting on their asses eating Cheetos instead of going out and earning a living instead. These people are being bred into dependence on Uncle Sam's tit and having their work ethics destroyed.

So the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities decided to add up the numbers and figure out how much money the federal government spends on the nonworking poor. The answer: about 10 percent of all federal welfare spending. How did they come up with that? CBPP's methodology uses census data to figure out exactly where program dollars are going, but you can get pretty much the same answer using a simpler, easier-to-understand technique. Step One is to list every federal welfare program. Step Two is to deduct spending on the elderly, blind, and seriously disabled. That's Social Security, Medicare, SSI, and about two-thirds of Medicaid. Step Three is to deduct spending that goes to the working poor. That's unemployment compensation, EITC, and child tax credits. Step Four is to add up the rest. This overstates how much goes to the nonworking poor, since these programs are open to both working and nonworking families, but it gives you a rough idea.

It comes to about $235 billion, the bulk of which is SNAP (formerly food stamps) and about one-third of Medicaid. That's 12 percent of all federal welfare spending and about 6 percent of the whole federal budget. Once you account for the fact that some of these program dollars go to the working poor, you end up with CBPP's estimate of 10 percent, or about 5 percent of the whole federal budget.

Is that too much? I guess you have to decide for yourself. But I'll bet most people think we spend a lot more than 5 percent of the federal budget on this stuff. They might be surprised to know the real numbers. The CBPP's chart is below, with spending on the nonworking poor highlighted.

How Much Do We Spend on the Nonworking Poor? | Mother Jones

Just added Mother Jones to my lost of sites that cannot do simple arithmetic. Just an FYI here, $259 billion is more than $235 billion, and the total of all of those is $394 billion, which is more than half of what we spend on the DOD.

the smack, has been laid down.....


Mother Jones was a pretty good source, in the last 6 months or so, jesus.....they've lost their minds.

 

[Trajan]

did you deduct 2/3 from medicaid? There are more details contained in the link below (which is also included in the op link):

contrary to "entitlement society" rhetoric, over nine-tenths of entitlement benefits go to elderly, disabled, or working households — center on budget and policy priorities

why would i do that? Are you saying that old people are not poor?

medicare is for the old people. Medicaid is not. Medicaid takes care of the "working poor" and should be counted.

+1

 

[GHook93]

Just added Mother Jones to my lost of sites that cannot do simple arithmetic. Just an FYI here, $259 billion is more than $235 billion, and the total of all of those is $394 billion, which is more than half of what we spend on the DOD.

Did you deduct 2/3 from Medicaid? There are more details contained in the link below (which is also included in the OP link):

Contrary to "Entitlement Society" Rhetoric, Over Nine-Tenths of Entitlement Benefits Go to Elderly, Disabled, or Working Households — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Why would I do that? Are you saying that old people are not poor?

You noticed that one also. They were able to remove about $350 billion that way. Not mention they removed disabled people, are some not poor either?