Quote:
Originally Posted by dc_dux
So the facts are propaganda and your anecdotal interactions are far more reflective of the truth ?
Sorry dude, that doesnt work for me.
Facts matter.
The vast majority of welfare recipients are now relatively short-termers who benefit from the social safety net and dont abuse the system.
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Okay, disregarding that you don't except experience as fact.
According to The Budget for Fiscal Year 2008, Historical Tables, total outlays for Means Tested Entitlements in 2006 were $354.3 billion. This was 2.7% of GDP and
Includes Medicaid, food stamps, family support assistance (AFDC), supplemental security income (SSI), child nutrition programs, refundable portions of earned income tax credits (EITC and HITC) and child tax credit, welfare contingency fund, child care entitlement to States, temporary assistance to needy families, foster care and adoption assistance, State children's health insurance and veterans pensions.
(from Table 8.1, page 133)
The cost of these programs has increased from 0.8% of GDP in 1962 (before Medicaid) to 2.7% of GDP in 2006, or by 1.9% of GDP. If we exclude Medicaid, health care for children and veterans pensions it is 0.89 % of GDP, or $117 billion. (The numbers for the excluded items are found in Table 8.5, page 142). This represents approximately 7.5% of total non-Social Security receipts to the Federal Government. So, for every one of your tax dollars to the Federal Government, about 7.5 cents goes to these programs. I hate to use averages, but the average taxpayer had a tax rate of 12.45% in 2005 (the latest data available here), so if we multiply things out we see that about 0.93% of the average taxpayer's income went to non-medical "welfare". So, if you made $50,000 and paid $6,225.00 in Federal income tax, approximately $465.00 went to all of these programs x-healthcare and veterans pensions.
So how exactly has this 'reform' helped?
---------- Post added at 08:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
Yes, I'm sure all the research conducted by universities is merely for pleasing the government and the masses.
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Funding for the studies has to come from somewhere. If you're findings contradict your benefactors interests do you get more funding?