08-28-2005, 11:21 PM
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#45 (permalink)
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Addict
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Quote:
3. Welfare is dwarfed by middle-class and corporate handouts
Judging from the media, you might easily think that half the gummint's budget goes to those damn poor people. Hardly.
The U.S. budget isn't organized (purposely so, one suspects) to make it easy to find out how much money goes to the poor. In 1995, however, the total was about $116 billion. That's 8% of a budget of $1519 billion.
Now, that's certainly real money, but compare it to the 33% of the budget spent on Social Security and Medicare; the 21% spent on defense; the 15% spent in interest on the national debt, or the 8% spent on handouts to business (farm subsidies, S&L and bank rescues, export/import assistance, tax credits, guaranteed loans, reimbursement for advertising, etc.).
Here's how it breaks down:
Medicaid (excluding aid to aged, disabled, blind) - $32 billion
AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) - $22 billion
Food stamps - $27 billion
Housing subsidies - $22 billion
School breakfast/lunch programs - $6 billion
Head Start - $3.5 billion
Miscellanous programs - $3 billion
Folks, it's just not the case that Your Moneytm is being stolen and given to the wastrel poor. Most of Your Money (three quarters of it) is spent on defending you, supporting you in old age or unemployment, protecting the money you have in the bank, keeping farmers and big business happy, and paying interest.
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http://www.zompist.com/welfare.html
8% of 'your' money.
Food stamps being under 2%
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