Living the good life off of government benefits

[EdwardBaiamonte]

How do you account for welfare not destroying the white family, Eddie,

dear, it has, illegitimacy is 73% among blacks, Hispanics are next and whites are following slightly behind at 49%!!

Every day is a learning day for a liberal, right????!

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Do you think that MAYBE, just MAYBE, other socio-economic factors could have been involved, like perhaps the high unemployment rates in the 1960's for young black males of marriageable age? .

Wow you are slower than usual today and no one could believe that.
Blacks were doing far better than ever in the 1960's until liberalism put more black men in jail than were slaves in 1860. You ought to read "The New Jim Crow" and ask yourself why liberals instanly put so many in jail and kept them there till this day!!


We could survive slavery, we could survive Jim Crow, but we could not survive liberalism- Walter Williams Ph.D

Even in the antebellum era, when slaves often weren’t permitted to wed, most black children lived with a biological mother and father. During Reconstruction and up until the 1940s, 75% to 85% of black children lived in two-parent families. Today, more than 70% of black children are born to single women. “The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn’t do, what Jim Crow couldn’t do, what the harshest racism couldn’t do,” Mr. Williams says. “And that is to destroy the black family

 

[jasonnfree]

Do you think that MAYBE, just MAYBE, other socio-economic factors could have been involved, like perhaps the high unemployment rates in the 1960's for young black males of marriageable age? .

Wow you are slower than usual today and no one could believe that.
Blacks were doing far better than ever in the 1960's until liberalism put more black men in jail than were slaves in 1860. You ought to read "The New Jim Crow" and ask yourself why liberals instanly put so many in jail and kept them there till this day!!


We could survive slavery, we could survive Jim Crow, but we could not survive liberalism- Walter Williams Ph.D

Even in the antebellum era, when slaves often weren’t permitted to wed, most black children lived with a biological mother and father. During Reconstruction and up until the 1940s, 75% to 85% of black children lived in two-parent families. Today, more than 70% of black children are born to single women. “The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn’t do, what Jim Crow couldn’t do, what the harshest racism couldn’t do,” Mr. Williams says. “And that is to destroy the black family

Looks like Williams is advocating a return to the good times when slaves were a family unit. Williams works for Hoover institue. A free market, free trade, pro low wages for the proles think tank.

Walter Williams ought to look into the thinking of earlier republicans like Colonel Bob Ingersoll, who opposed slavery including wage slavery. He believed in a progressive income tax and that workers made enough to live in decency and maybe save a little for their golden years.

 

[Aristotle]

If all of you are against governmental assistance and social programs, then let's get rid of pensions, social security, retirement, food stamps, half-way houses, shelters, temp vouchers for the homeless to stay at hotels, medicare, medicade and other resourceful elements. Then after we do that maybe we can brain storm on how to assist the tens of millions of people who ran into foreclosures and have become homeless. Or maybe we can figure out why people who've worked for 50 years won't have any social security or retirement.

Look, I hate people who take advantage of governmental assistance but let's be real, its there and unfortunately there are people who take advantage. These are the people with no drive to excel beyond their conditions and they've become complacent with the lives they've been accustomed to live in. I remember a few years ago I was laid off, and I had to go on welfare. I hated it, but I remember that after working 10+ years why not take advantage since I felt like I paid into it. I eventually found a job and got off of it making twice as much than my previous job. The key thing is I didn't become complacent because I liked having my own money and loved not having to depend on an EBT card to pay for my food or anything.

But again, I used welfare responsibly and because I developed a character in which I valued work, more than being a sloth, I can appreciate the value of governmental assistance. Don't use this woman as an example of why welfare doesn't work. We have too many people in the United States that need welfare.

My opposition to the programs you cite has nothing to do with whether the recipients of the help deserve it or not, or whether we should take care of our fellow man. I think we should. The question is whether I have a right to force my idea of social responsibility on you or not. Or, more to the point, whether the majority, via government, has a right to force the minority to conform to their idea of social responsibility.

It isn't that we don't want social safety nets, it's that we think government is the wrong tool for the job. Government is inherently coercive in nature. We should reserve its use for problems that actually require coercive threat of violence to solve. We can't, for example, expect murderers and rapists to voluntarily comply - their violent acts justify violence in response. We can, and should, attend to issues of social justice and community support voluntarily.

I don't think you read my side story of my experience.

How exactly is the government coercive?

You actually believe social aid assistance ought to be left to the people to assist other people in need?

 

[Aristotle]

How do you account for welfare not destroying the white family, Eddie,

dear, it has, illegitimacy is 73% among blacks, Hispanics are next and whites are following slightly behind at 49%!!

Every day is a learning day for a liberal, right????!

Actually whites top the welfare chart buddy

Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Why So Many Whites Vote Against Themselves

 

[dblack]

I don't think you read my side story of my experience.

Yeah, I read it. I don't blame anyone for taking advantage of these programs. I certainly won't hesitate, if and when I qualify

How exactly is the government coercive?

How is it not? Laws are enforced. Government programs aren't voluntarily financed. Coercion, the exclusive right to use violent force to achieve its ends, is what distinguishes government from all other social institutions.

You actually believe social aid assistance ought to be left to the people to assist other people in need?

Yes. And to the degree that we are decent, compassionate society we will.

 

[JQPublic1]

I don't think you read my side story of my experience.

Yeah, I read it. I don't blame anyone for taking advantage of these programs. I certainly won't hesitate, if and when I qualify

How exactly is the government coercive?

How is it not? Laws are enforced. Government programs aren't voluntarily financed. Coercion, the exclusive right to use violent force to achieve its ends, is what distinguishes government from all other social institutions.

You actually believe social aid assistance ought to be left to the people to assist other people in need?

Yes. And to the degree that we are decent, compassionate society we will.

I think the Great Depression proved how "compassionate" the right wingers were and how insensitive they were to the plight of the majority of Americans. It took FDR and his New Deal to restore hope and prosperity. FDR was, in a sense , the father of the American Middle class .

 

[Dragonlady]

Yes. And to the degree that we are decent, compassionate society we will.

When large corporations like Walmart encourage workers to work part time in order to save on employee benefit costs, and encouraging workers to apply for food stamps, instead of paying people a minimum wage, I think that corporate America has already proven that they are neither fair nor compassionate. In other words, corporate America has to be forced to do the right thing.

It also puts people in the position of having to go hat in hand to the government and jump through bureaucratic hoops just to put food on the table. Instead of paying people more money in the first place, you have this enormous branch of government which determines who gets the assistance, and how much, and then seeks the appropriate budget to do its work.

There has been much bitching about the electronic debit cards given to food stamp recipients these days. That's so that food stamp recipients are forced to shop at outlets which are authorized to accept the debit cards. You can't take them to a farmer, or farmers market and use them. Mom and pop outlets don't benefit. Corporations like Walmart, big box grocery stores and retailers get the benefit of food stamp money.

The mechanisms for delivery of funds to receipents, and the expansion of the food stamp program were given precisely as a sop to the working poor for not raising the minimum wage. Food stamp receipients receive their benefits through EBT cards. This way, the profits from the sales of food, clothing, and other necessities provided by general welfare, food stamps, etc., all flows back to corporate America, and not small independent merchants or farmers.

On average, food stamp recipients receive a monthly benefit of $131 and change per month. Instead of this massive government department and layers of bureaucrats administering this program, wouldn't it just be cheaper and easier to pay these people an extra $35 a week and save the administration costs and red tape?

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

When large corporations like Walmart encourage workers to work part time in order to save on employee benefit costs, and encouraging workers to apply for food stamps, instead of paying people a minimum wage, I think that corporate America has already proven that they are neither fair nor compassionate. In other words, corporate America has to be forced to do the right thing.

perfectly stupid and liberal of course!! With that logic you could blame corporations for all the poverty in the world. All they have to do is pay enough and world poverty is history- right!!


Here's Econ 101 for you. Under Republican capitalism a corporation must have the lowest price and best quality or its customers send it into bankruptcy. And, it must provide the higest pay possible or its workers leave to work for others who pay more and again bankruptcy results.

America has the most capitalism(described above) and the best jobs and the best products. Now even you can see how Republican capitalism made America the richest country in human history.

 

[Dragonlady]

perfectly stupid and liberal of course!! With that logic you could blame corporations for all the poverty in the world. All they have to do is pay enough and world poverty is history- right!!.

Close Eddie, but no cigar. Poverty will never be eradicated, however, paying a fair wage to the lowest wage earners is one way to stop the flow of wealth from the top 5% back down to the bottom 1%, which is necessary for a vibrant consumer economy. Having so much of the wealth of the country in the hands of so few, means that the masses have little in the way of disposable income, and that which they do is funnelled right back to the large corporations.

A healthy vibrant middle class is necessary for a healthy vibrant consumer economy, Eddie. Without it, you're Brazil.

You're all about corporations, Eddie. A country isn't a corporation, a country is it's people. You wanna live in Brazil, Eddie, or Chile? That's where you're headed.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Having so much of the wealth of the country in the hands of so few, means that the masses have little in the way of disposable income,

perfectly stupid of course!! wealth is not a zero sum game. Wealth grows for all! Do you think total wealth stayed the same over
the last 50 years or that it went up 10,000 % for everyone??
Yes or no??????????????

If poverty is your issue then blame liberals since they destroyed the human family created millions of poor single mothers and putting the men on the street or in jail!! Blame the liberal schools which now turn out the dumbest kids in the civilized world.

See why we are positive a liberal will be slow, so very very slow

 

[Dragonlady]

Eddie, wealth is not infinite, unless you just hit the printing presses. You avoid the question either because you don't know the answer, or you don't realize that the over 95% of the wealth in the United States owned or controlled by the top 20% of corporations or individuals. The bottom 80% own or control just over 5% of the wealth of the country.

This is the imbalance created by Friedman economics. Republicans keep you focused on social programs and the "takers" to keep you from notice who the real "takers" are. Because if you realized how thoroughly the wealthy in the country are robbing you blind while blaming the poor and their social programs for the pinch you're feeling, how utterly wrong Friedman was with his free market theories, and how brutally those reforms had to be enforced in nearly every country they were forced upon, then you would realize why Fox New lies and lies and lies about the poor and the economy.

If you were to open your eyes and learn the truth, you'd never vote for these assholes again.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Eddie, wealth is not infinite,

too perfectly stupid once again and right out the box as usual!!
Wealth is infinite!! Thats why the earth can now support 7 billion people and grow another billion every 20 years!! Bill Gates can't earn 65 billion unless half th eplanet is rich enough to buy his stuff!!

You are slow beyond belief!! Sorry. Why not get help before you answer??

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

if you realized how thoroughly the wealthy in the country are robbing you blind.

Bill Gates is robbing me blind because I prefer to buy his software more than anything else I might buy from anyone else in the world with that money??

Do you have any idea how perfectly stupid and liberal that is.

Robbery involves violence and coercion, I get to look at everything available in the world and buy or not. That is a huge huge opportunity the world never had before global Republican capitalism.

Moreover, Its far far better to have folk like Gates and Buffet spend their vast wealth as they see fit rather than have it stolen and wasted by libturd soviet bureaucrats.

 

[Polk]

wow,

SNIP:

Living the good life

Reported by: Chris Papst

Email: [email protected]


Contributor: Nate Wardle


Published: 2/04 9:34 pm
Updated: 2/05 10:41 pm
We’ve all heard the line that America is becoming an entitlement society or welfare state, with half of U.S. households now receiving some type of government benefit. But a CBS 21 News investigation has taken that stat one step further to show you how much people are actually getting for free.

A few years ago, reporter Chris Papst worked with a single mom who had two children. She turned down a raise because she said the extra money would decrease her government benefits. It was hard to understand why she did that, until Chris started working on this story.

“You do what you have to do as a single mom,” explained Kristina Cogan. “And that’s what I did.”

For Kristina Cogan, a single mom of two, life has been a challenge. Ever since her divorce, she has struggled to simply give her kids what they need.

So five years ago, she walked through the doors of the Department of Public Welfare and applied for welfare.

“What was it like the first time you had to walk into that office?” we asked her.

“It’s scary. You’re depending on other people,” Cogan replied.

“What if that assistance wasn’t there for you?” we continued.

“I don’t know what I would have done, I mean, it’s critical for a lot of people,” Cogan answered.

So critical that Cogan is still collecting. The Lancaster native’s in nursing school and hopes to one day free herself from the system. But she admits living a life off the government can be comfortable.

“If you’re going to get something for free, are you going to work for it?” Cogan explained. “It kind of like sucks you in. They feel like they are hopeless. They feel like they have no alternative.

It’s not hard to see why. For this story, CBS 21 researched what government programs are available to a single mother of two making $19,000 a year. What we found was incredible.

Our family would be eligible for $14,976 in free day care, another $13,400 for Head Start and Early Head Start, $7,148 in housing vouchers, $6,500 for weatherization projects, $400 to pay heating bills, $480 a year for a cell phone, with an extra $230 for a land line, and $182 in free legal advice.

The family would get more than $6,028 in food assistance and another $6,045 in medical assistance. The mother is eligible for $5,500 in Pell Grants for school with an additional $12,000 for the Education Opportunity Grant; SMART Grant; and TEACH Grant.

Our family would also get $6,800 in tax credits, and $1,900 in withholding would be returned.

Add it up and this family can get $81,589 in free assistance.

“This isn’t the American dream,” commented Matt Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Matt Brouillette is with the Commonwealth Foundation, a government watchdog group which emphasizes a safety net, not a safety hammock.

“When there are taxpayer funded programs that could give you the equivalent lifestyle of a middle-class family, why would you have an incentive to go to work?” Brouillette questioned.

Government figures show, Pennsylvania’s Welfare Department now takes up a whopping 43 percent of the state’s budget. That number is growing much faster than revenue.

Brouillette admits in our hyper-politicized culture, meaningful reform is unlikely until there’s a financial crisis, which he says is coming.

all of it here
Living the good life off of government benefits - CBS 21 News - Breaking news, sports and weather for the Harrisburg -York -Lancaster -Lebanon Pennsylvania area

There are a lot programs available but for one reason or another you'll find you're not qualified for most of them. Things like having any retirement programs will disqualify you from most welfare programs. Being fired from a job can cut you out of unemployment. If you're going back to school, you can't get child care while you're in class. If you owe more than a $100, you can't get help with your electric bill. If you don't own your home, weatherization does work for you. There are lots of programs available but you can't qualify for most of them.

But, but, but, you could under a vague theory and that's horrible.

 

[Polk]

"Living the good life on government benefits".....this idea has been around for as long as I can remember, more than 40 years at least. So, why is it considered a 'current event'? Nothing new here.

Anyway, from what I've seen, it doesn't look like a very good life to me: they live like trailer trash and most of the people I've ever met or seen who were living on benefits were white 'cracker' trailer trash types. What's so good about such a life?

Seriously. I come from a really small town where a fair number of people were on benefits. Their lives seemed pretty miserable. Think about it. If there was really a "public hammock", a lot more people would be flocking to it.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

wow,

SNIP:

Living the good life

Reported by: Chris Papst

Email: [email protected]


Contributor: Nate Wardle


Published: 2/04 9:34 pm
Updated: 2/05 10:41 pm
We’ve all heard the line that America is becoming an entitlement society or welfare state, with half of U.S. households now receiving some type of government benefit. But a CBS 21 News investigation has taken that stat one step further to show you how much people are actually getting for free.

A few years ago, reporter Chris Papst worked with a single mom who had two children. She turned down a raise because she said the extra money would decrease her government benefits. It was hard to understand why she did that, until Chris started working on this story.

“You do what you have to do as a single mom,” explained Kristina Cogan. “And that’s what I did.”

For Kristina Cogan, a single mom of two, life has been a challenge. Ever since her divorce, she has struggled to simply give her kids what they need.

So five years ago, she walked through the doors of the Department of Public Welfare and applied for welfare.

“What was it like the first time you had to walk into that office?” we asked her.

“It’s scary. You’re depending on other people,” Cogan replied.

“What if that assistance wasn’t there for you?” we continued.

“I don’t know what I would have done, I mean, it’s critical for a lot of people,” Cogan answered.

So critical that Cogan is still collecting. The Lancaster native’s in nursing school and hopes to one day free herself from the system. But she admits living a life off the government can be comfortable.

“If you’re going to get something for free, are you going to work for it?” Cogan explained. “It kind of like sucks you in. They feel like they are hopeless. They feel like they have no alternative.

It’s not hard to see why. For this story, CBS 21 researched what government programs are available to a single mother of two making $19,000 a year. What we found was incredible.

Our family would be eligible for $14,976 in free day care, another $13,400 for Head Start and Early Head Start, $7,148 in housing vouchers, $6,500 for weatherization projects, $400 to pay heating bills, $480 a year for a cell phone, with an extra $230 for a land line, and $182 in free legal advice.

The family would get more than $6,028 in food assistance and another $6,045 in medical assistance. The mother is eligible for $5,500 in Pell Grants for school with an additional $12,000 for the Education Opportunity Grant; SMART Grant; and TEACH Grant.

Our family would also get $6,800 in tax credits, and $1,900 in withholding would be returned.

Add it up and this family can get $81,589 in free assistance.

“This isn’t the American dream,” commented Matt Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Matt Brouillette is with the Commonwealth Foundation, a government watchdog group which emphasizes a safety net, not a safety hammock.

“When there are taxpayer funded programs that could give you the equivalent lifestyle of a middle-class family, why would you have an incentive to go to work?” Brouillette questioned.

Government figures show, Pennsylvania’s Welfare Department now takes up a whopping 43 percent of the state’s budget. That number is growing much faster than revenue.

Brouillette admits in our hyper-politicized culture, meaningful reform is unlikely until there’s a financial crisis, which he says is coming.

all of it here
Living the good life off of government benefits - CBS 21 News - Breaking news, sports and weather for the Harrisburg -York -Lancaster -Lebanon Pennsylvania area

There are a lot programs available but for one reason or another you'll find you're not qualified for most of them. Things like having any retirement programs will disqualify you from most welfare programs. Being fired from a job can cut you out of unemployment. If you're going back to school, you can't get child care while you're in class. If you owe more than a $100, you can't get help with your electric bill. If you don't own your home, weatherization does work for you. There are lots of programs available but you can't qualify for most of them.

But, but, but, you could under a vague theory and that's horrible.

but in the end the welfare programs grow and grow don't they????
1960 455,00 workers got disbility
2010 8.2 million
2011 8.6 million
2012 8.7 million

this despite huge rise in public health and work place safety!!

 

[Polk]

You actually believe social aid assistance ought to be left to the people to assist other people in need?

Yes. And to the degree that we are decent, compassionate society we will.

Except that, historically, people don't behave in that way.

 

[Polk]

There are a lot programs available but for one reason or another you'll find you're not qualified for most of them. Things like having any retirement programs will disqualify you from most welfare programs. Being fired from a job can cut you out of unemployment. If you're going back to school, you can't get child care while you're in class. If you owe more than a $100, you can't get help with your electric bill. If you don't own your home, weatherization does work for you. There are lots of programs available but you can't qualify for most of them.

But, but, but, you could under a vague theory and that's horrible.

but in the end the welfare programs grow and grow don't they????
1960 455,00 workers got disbility
2010 8.2 million
2011 8.6 million
2012 8.7 million

this despite huge rise in public health and work place safety!!

God forbid disabled people not be placed out in the streets.

 

[Polk]

Living the good life off of government benefits...

Question: Is there a limit on how much government assistance one can get?

Since the 1990s, there are time limits on most programs.