[Hunton Peck]

As the old joke goes, LBJ declared war on poverty, and poverty won.

But the greatest toll of government welfare is not the money spent, but what it does to the spirit of those who become dependent on it, including the bureaucrats who administer it.

[Red Badger]

I read somewhere back in the nineties that European poverty levels had remained the same even after 60 years of socialism...................

[USNBandit]

Look what the federal government did for Native Americans. They took a group of hearty subsistence cultures and turned them into victims of the government handout in just a few generations. Why would the inner city poor be any different. Substitute housing projects for reservations and it is basically the same.

I'm not sure it is possible to completely rid a human of the satisfaction of a hard day's work, but the government is trying its best. All of this to build a permanent constituency of Democrat voters.

[PGR88]

Poverty is only a state of mind.

[stuartcr]

What tools do you think the govt should or could provide that they do not already?

[mo]

hint...it ain’t about “poverty” ...its about the “poverty industry” .....which is about as useful and productive as the “green energy” industry...and the “global warming scam industry”

The flim-flam “war on poverty” was one of the first and most successful of the scam industries. It inspired a lot of wanna-be knockoffs leading to a Federal gov’mt that is increasingly less Federal and governed.

[DrC]

“LBJ declared war on poverty, and poverty won”

Government also has declared war on drugs and failed pretty miserably at that as well. Unless it is handicapped by politicians, our military does a pretty impressive job of fighting wars: our government, not so much. Think about the things that people complain about most these days: education, health care and government. Is it any coincidence that government is integrally involved in all three?

[hecht]

because throwing money at “poverty” only sustains it.

[bgill]

More Than Half a Trillion Dollars Spent on Welfare But Poverty Levels Unaffected

Duuuuh, ya think that might be because there's no incentive to get off welfare?

[daniel1212]

As of early 2011, 15% of people lived in a household that received food stamps, 26% had someone enrolled in Medicaid and 2% had a member receiving unemployment benefits. The Census data show that 16% of the population lives in a household where at least one member receives Social Security and 15% receive or live with someone who gets Medicare. There is likely a lot of overlap. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/05/26/number-of-the-week-half-of-u-s-lives-in-household-getting-benefits/

During February 2010, 1 in 8 Americans were enrolled for food stamps, an increase of 260,000. Since reaching 31.78 million in December 2008, enrollment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has set a record each month. USDA estimates enrollment for fiscal year 2010, which ends Sept 30, is expected to average 40.5 million people, at a cost of up to $59 billion. Average enrollment for fiscal 2011 is predicted to be 43.3 million people. Reuters, “Food-stamp tally nears 40 million, sets record,” May 7, 2010

The USDA dedicated $5 million in 2011 to “improve access to and increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] .” http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2011/04/usda-spends-5-mil-to-recruit-food-stamp-recipients/

The Congressional Budget Office said Thursday that 45 million people in 2011 received SNAP benefits, a 70% increase from 2007. The CBO projected that one in seven U.S. residents received food stamps last year. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/04/19/food-stamp-rolls-to-grow-through-2014-cbo-says/?mod=e2tw

2012. Around 5.3 percent of the population between the ages of 25 and 64 is currently collecting federal disability payments, a jump from 4.5 percent since the economy slid into a recession. Mental-illness claims, in particular, are surging. During the recent economic boom, only 33 percent of applicants were claiming mental illness, but that figure has jumped to 43 percent, says Rutledge, citing preliminary results from his latest research. NY. Post., Jobless disability claims soar to record $200B as of January, February 19, 2012,

In just the first four months of 2012, 539,000 joined the disability rolls and more than 725,000 put in applications. As a result, by April there were a total of 10.8 million people on disability, [SSI and SSDI?] according to Social Security Administration data, a 53% increase from a decade ago, after accounting for all those who've left the program (about 700,000 drop out each year, mainly because they reached retirement age or died). http://news.investors.com/article/608418/201204200802/ssdi-disability-rolls-skyrocket-under-obama.htm?p=full Also see http://www.akdart.com/poverty.html

A record 5.4 million workers and their dependents have signed up to collect federal disability checks since President Obama took office, according to the latest official government data, as discouraged workers increasingly give up looking for jobs and take advantage of the federal program. From June 2009, the number of new enrollees to Social Security’s disability insurance [SSDI, financed with Social Security taxes paid] program is twice the job growth figure. ^

SSDI now accounts for more than 16% of Social Security's budget and more than 15% of Medicare's (SSDI enrollees can qualify for Medicare after two years.) ^

The amount of money the federal government hands out in direct payments increased 32% during first three years of Mr. Obama's Presidency. http://patriotupdate.com/17823/food-stamps-up-45-federal-handouts-up-32

In 1988, there were 4.46 million SSI [Supplemental Security Income, financed through general revenues from taxes, meaning benefits are not based on your prior work history] recipients, 6 million in 1993 and in 2011 there were 8 million. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-224.html; http://www.socialsecurity-disability.org/disability-benefits

The top 10 States with the highest percentage of non-poor residents of each state signed up for government assistance were Vermont, Mississippi, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Alaska, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Connecticut, Arkansas. http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/the-moocher-index/

Much more

[mjp]

“The vast majority of current programs are focused on making poverty more comfortable … rather than giving people the tools that will help them escape poverty.”

The way to treat poverty is to raise the level of average real wage rates by increasing the productivity of labor. This is done by increasing the division of labor, by capital accumulation, and by technological progress.Government intervention in the economy inhibits the institutions of capitalism which leads to inhibition of all three.

[Chode]

feeding them and housing them so they can breed like RATS has had the desired effect... MORE RAT VOTERS!!!

[driftless2]

At its core, the whole welfare system is racist. I’ll bet the architects and supporters of the welfare state believe the people they’re trying to “help” are too stupid to make it on their own. And, of course, they want these people as permanent voters for Big Government. Which is why they’ve opposed all efforts to get people off welfare.

[TurboZamboni]

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And the Winner Is ... Social Security: The 10 Most Harmful Government Programs http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=13871

[TurboZamboni]

Instead, the study recommends refocusing anti-poverty efforts on keeping people in school, discouraging out-of-wedlock births, and encouraging people to get a job – even if that job is a low-wage one.

I used to tell the kids I used to have the surest way to almost guaranty you won't be poor is:

1) finish high school 2) don't have a kid before marriage 3) stay off drugs

2 of 3 took the advice. One continues to be lost in the world.